Play Her Like a Game
by MizuneMinamiki
Summary: Gakupo loves Luka; she doesn't love him back. So, who better to go to for advice than Len, Kaito, and 'Forever-Alone-Piko? The blue-haired ice cream lover offers Gakupo some words of wisdom that just might bring the two closer: "Play her game. Agree with her when she says she's too good for you. She'll start to love you, because people always want what they can't have."
1. Chapter 1

_**I'll be honest: I hate the beginning of this. I don't think I wrote it too well, but I had the first few lines of dialogue stuck in my head and I needed to use them somehow.**_

_**Unfortunately, I don't own Vocaloid.**_

_**Warning: Contains mostly Gakupo/Luka, but also Rin/Len and Miku/Kaito, very suggestive and cheesy pick-up lines, and romance (obviously.) ^^**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

"And so I was like, _girl how dare you take my ice cream_! And then she was like,_what's wrong with sharing your precious treat with your girlfriend_?" Kaito mimicked Miku's high-pitch voice remarkably well, drawing snickers from the two boys who sat on either side of him, yet none of them took their attention away from the screen. The trio sat in Kaito's bedroom, staring at the television as the rapid clicking from the video game controllers echoed off the walls.

"Woah! Destroyed!" Piko's voice rose above the explosion that boomed from the speakers. He waved the controller in front of the blonde kid's face. "I win, you lose, you suck! Ah ha!"

Len rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll get you next time." He shifted in the beanbag and started clicking buttons again. "Round two?"

"Round two!" the white-haired boy confirmed.

"Why am I not-" Kaito was cut off by the sound of someone calling out his name, followed by the door being kicked open.

"Gakupo! What is wrong with you?!" The blue-haired boy leaped to his feet, video games forgotten, and stomped over to the dented wall as the Samurai approached them.

"I have a problem much more important than your precious ice-cream wallpaper," Gakupo stated quickly, casting a glance over his shoulder at Kaito, who was staring at the spot where the doorknob had left a hole. "I need one of you guys to give me an idea that will help me get Luka."

Len pointed a thumb at the snowy haired teen beside him. "Well don't ask Piko over there. He's forever alone. But I'll help out!"

Piko narrowed his eyes and feigned a sad face, but he didn't say anything.

"Actually, I don't want to ask you either, Len," Gakupo said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"What!?" Len leaped to his feet after pressing a button to pause the game. His eyes were hurt. "Why not?"

"Well..." Kaito approached the group again slowly, arms crossed. "You'd just give him some ridiculous pick-up line to use."

"They work!" the blonde haired teen defended himself, his voice rising up to a girly squeal.

Gakupo snickered. "No one falls for those!"

"I beg to differ!" Len huffed, crossing his arms and pouting like a twelve-year-old girl. "I remember this one time..."

**-Flashback-**

_"Hey, hey. Look who's cute today!" Len rested his arm against the wall as he stepped in front of the girl, blocking her path._

_She raised a golden eyebrow, her dazzling blue eyes full of curiosity. She put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one leg, tipping her head to the side in consideration of his words. Then, she rudely asked, "Can I help you?"_

_A smirk played at his lips. "That depends. How much do you charge?"_

_The girl's serious face slowly softened into a grin, before she started to giggle. "You're so funny, you know that?" Her smile lit up the hallway; her eyes were so bright and cheery. She laughed again as he wrapped an arm around her waist and led her towards his room, where they would proceed to do 'stuff'._

**-flashback end-**

"Dude. It didn't happen like that." Kaito shook his head.

"Did too!" Len countered angrily.

"No, it didn't. Rin would never fall for something as dumb as that. Besides, even if she was that stupid, it's not like she'd let you have sex with her on the first night," Kaito scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "No, this is how it happened."

**-flashback-**

_"Hey, hey. Look who's cute today!" Len rested his arm against the wall as he stepped in front of the girl, blocking her path._

_She raised a golden eyebrow, her dazzling blue eyes full of curiosity. She put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one leg, tipping her head to the side in consideration of his words. Then, she rudely asked, "Can I help you?"_

_A smirk played at his lips. "That depends. How much do you charge?" He beamed at that, but his mood was instantly changed by a fist against his stomach. "Oh f-"_

_"Don't say bad words, Len." Rin pushed past him and continued on with her business, placing a hand up to cover one ear as she nodded her head to the beat of her music._

_"Wait! Rin!" Len reached forward to grab her shoulder. She didn't protest or fight back, only turned around to meet his gaze questioningly. "We should have breakfast together tomorrow."_

_A shy grin formed on Rin's lips, along with a light pink color tinting her cheeks._

_Then Len winked, and poked her in the side with his elbow. "Should I call you, or nudge you?"_

_"Ugh!" The blonde girl spun around and stomped off, screaming, "You're such a pervert!"_

**-flashback end-**

"That actually makes a lot more sense," Gakupo agreed, nodding.

"That's _not_ how it happened!" Len protested angrily.

"We recorded you, baka!" exclaimed Kaito, waving his hands around in a gesture that meant nothing other than that he was impatient with his blonde friend. "We've got proof!"

"Um, excuse me?" A quiet voice spoke up. "'_Forever-Alone-Piko_ feels kinda left out," the white haired kid muttered, lifting a hand into the air.

"Well, you should," Len snapped back, his voice filled with mockery. "I mean, you of all guys haven't had a kiss yet. What's wrong with you!?"

Piko pouted. "I don't appreciate that."

"Could you quit arguing and focus on _me_for a second?" Gakupo asked, injecting himself into the conversation. "I need help!"

"We know, but there's not a mental facility anywhere nearby," Len murmured, feigning sadness. "Sorry, Gaki."

"Good one." Piko balled his fist and touched his knuckles against Len's, the two boys snickering in amusement.

"That's not what I meant!" the purple-haired man fumed, clenching both hands into tight fists. His lavender eyes flashed with both pain and anger, and he growled in frustration. "Luka won't even give me a chance! Why not? I'm doing nothing but being nice to her!"

Kaito stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Gakupo's shoulder. "Listen. You know exactly how Luka is. She's stubborn, and she thinks she's too good for anyone."

Gakupo nodded several times in agreement. "Yea...I knew that. What's your point?"

"You have to play her game," the ice-cream lover said, smirking.

"Explain, please?" Gakupo waved his hands several times, gesturing for his friend to continue.

"Like I said, she thinks she's too good for anything. So agree with her." Kaito nudged the tall man, winking at him. "Let her get her way. If you play along, she'll want you even more, because people naturally want things they can't have."

Gakupo fell quiet, eyes glazed over in thought. Then, slowly, a smile started to grow from ear to ear. "I get it! Thank you so much, Kai!" He wrapped his arms around his childish friend in a hug, quivering with the excitement of trying an idea that just might work. "Where did you even learn that?"

Kaito shrugged. "Some movie Miku forced me to see with her."

"Oh!" Len gasped, and turned to the blue-haired boy. "You mean that one where the man and that stuck-up girl got trapped in a cabin?"

"That's the one. Wait...how did you know?"

"Rin made me watch it." Len rolled his eyes and sighed.

Piko dropped his gaze and muttered, "No one made me watch it."

"Well, that's because no one loves you enough to drag you to see a sappy romance movie!" Len exclaimed cheerfully, patting his depressed friend on the back.

Piko sighed and started getting to his feet, USB cord dragging after him as he trudged to the door. "I'm going to talk to Miki."

Gakupo left his friends to their petty arguments and headed to his own room._Play her game_, he thought. A smile crept its way onto his face. _Don't mind if I do._

* * *

_**First, I want to say thanks to everyone who's reading!(:(:**_

_**Second, that "movie" I was referring to is actually a play, and I think it's called 'Donovan's Daughters'.**_

_**And third, I love Piko, almost as much as I love Len! Almost. I just see him as the awkward, clumsy guy for some reason, so I tend to abuse him in my stories like that, haha;)**_

_**Please review! Because more reviews mean faster updates!**_

_**Until next time!**_

_**(:Mizune**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thanks to those of you who reviewed, and favorited and followed!_**

**_This is probably a really...strange question for someone who's writing a story about Gakupo, but what color are his eyes? I've seen both a pale purple and a crystal blue, either in pictures or in other fics. Help, please?(:_**

**_Review Replies are at the end of this chapter! Enjoy~!_**

* * *

**Last Chapter.**

_"Like I said, she thinks she's too good for anything. So agree with her." Kaito nudged the tall man, winking at him. "Let her get her way. If you play along, she'll want you even more, because people naturally want things they can't have."_

_Gakupo fell quiet, eyes glazed over in thought. Then, slowly, a smile started to grow from ear to ear. "I get it! Thank you so much, Kai!" He wrapped his arms around his childish friend in a hug, quivering with the excitement of trying an idea that just might work. "Where did you even learn that?"_

_Kaito shrugged. "Some movie Miku forced me to see with her."_

_"Oh!" Len gasped, and turned to the blue-haired boy. "You mean that one where the man and that stuck-up girl got trapped in a cabin?"_

_"That's the one. Wait...how did you know?"_

_"Rin made me watch it." Len rolled his eyes and sighed._

_Piko dropped his gaze and muttered, "No one made me watch it."_

_"Well, that's because no one loves you enough to drag you to see a sappy romance movie!" Len exclaimed cheerfully, patting his depressed friend on the back._

_Piko sighed and started getting to his feet, USB cord dragging after him as he trudged to the door. "I'm going to talk to Miki."_

_Gakupo left his friends to their petty arguments and headed to his own room. Play her game, he thought. A smile crept its way onto his face. Don't mind if I do._

* * *

**Chapter Two.**

Luka kept her sapphire eyes fixed on the book in her hands, peering over the rims of her red reading glasses to scan the words on the page. She paused in her reading only for a moment to tuck a lock of her rosy pink hair behind her ears. She did her best to tune out the sounds of the others in the Vocaloid mansion, but with the boys screaming next door over video games and Miku singing her heart out across the hall, Luka found it pretty hard to concentrate. Maybe she just wasn't as good at ignoring people as she used to be.

And she knew who to blame for that.

Gakupo.

That irritating boy. He was always coming on strong, hugging her when she was least expecting it and couldn't do anything about it. Even if she were ignoring him with every fiber of her being, that eggplant-loving freak always found a way to get her attention. Granted, as much as she hated him - and people in general - she couldn't really bring the situation to Master. Why? Well, for one, Gakupo had been designed with a clingy personality. And she couldn't necessarily complain because he wasn't being sexual - touching her, kissing her, or trying to rape her in any way.

Gakupo often would just barge in without asking, gather her in a hug and hold her there in his strong arms so firmly that she couldn't break free, no matter how much she struggled. Which left her with no choice but to just chill out and wait for him to let go. But once he did, she was sure to give him a good punch to the face or slap upside the head.

That was what she hated about Gakupo. While Luka was one of the strongest female Vocaloids, she was far from able to fight against him, him being the strong and freakishly tall Samurai that he was. She was at least a foot shorter than him, having to tilt her head back just to meet his dazzling eyes. Gakupo never looked at her lustfully, only with care, and that drove Luka insane. Not that she wanted him to think of her in a dirty way. It was that, if she continued to reject him, how could he still be trying to win her heart?

That must be some intense love he feels for me, Luka often thought, those very words crossing her mind every time Gakupo would approach her minutes after she left a red handprint across his face.

Luka heaved a deep sigh, trying to force Gakupo out of her mind so she could focus on reading. But of course, just the way life hated her, the purple-haired man himself swung her door open, singing her name. The pinkette squealed in surprise, turning to face him with eyes filled with shock. Then, the look faded to one of anger.

"Don't you knock!?" she shrieked, flinging her book in his direction.

Gakupo calmly bowed his head, and the novel went flying past him, leaving him unscathed. He looked back at her with a smirk, yet his voice was genuine and kind. "Oh. Sorry."

Luka raised a brow as he shut the door. After it clicked shut, the sound of knuckles on wood filled her room as he rapped. She rolled her eyes. "Who is it?"

"It's Gakupo; can I come in?" he replied, his voice muffled from the door that separated them.

"No!" The pink-haired girl stood up and padded over to her bookshelf, dragging her finger along the spines of all the books as she tried to find another good one to read. She pulled one out and flipped it open as she sat back down on her bed. "Go away."

His reply came almost immediately. "Okay."

Luka tipped her head to one side. Did she hear him right? She hesitated for a few long moments before finally rising to her feet and making her way over to the door. Cautiously, she placed a hand on the knob and pressed her ear to the wood. She couldn't hear anything - no shuffling, no breathing. Had he really just left her so easily?

Slowly, Luka turned the doorknob and pushed it open, poking her head out and glancing down the hall. No sign of anybody. Gakupo was gone. He'd just left. Just like that. No question. No hug. Just left. Because she told him to.

Luka turned to the left, then to the right, before backing into her room once again. She shut the door behind her and situated herself on her bed, holding her new book and reading it with a smile on her face. Yet...she couldn't help but feel that something was missing.

:::::

"Well, someone looks like they're having a good day," Meiko remarked of Gakupo's smile as he took a seat in the chair. Her rich brown eyes shown with a sense of knowing. Mockery, maybe, as though she suspected something must've come of the man's one-sided relationship with their stubborn, tuna-loving Luka.

"Oh, it's great!" Gakupo sighed, sinking down in the chair and stretching his legs out.

"Wanna share?" the brunette prompted, moving from her spot to sit nearest him on the couch. She rested her elbow on the arm and placed her chin in her palm, her eyes a silent plea.

"Erm..." Gakupo scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, Kaito may have given me some advice that I may have decided to experiment with."

"Ahh!" Meiko giggled like a little school girl. "So it does have to do with Luka?"

"N-n-uh...what makes you think that?" he stammered nervously, his eyes darting frantically back and forth.

"Well, you're blushing." Meiko laughed again. She poked Gakupo's cheek with one long, red fingernail and whispered, "And you're stuttering. You've really got it bad."

"D-don't you have some sake to drink?" the purple-haired man asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Nah." Meiko waved her hand dismissively. "I don't start drinking until it gets later. But if you don't want me to bug you about it, then I'll stop."

"Er...t-thank you." Gakupo sighed and stared down at his hands in his lap. What was the girl he loved so much doing at that very moment? Was she thinking of him? Or had she gone back to reading as though nothing had happened?

He flipped his hands over to examine his palms - rough and calloused from much work wielding his katana. His big, tough hands that somehow could be a touch so gentle that one might not even assume came from the same person. Sure, he was a remarkably strong and tough guy, but he knew how to treat a woman.

He just wished that Luka would let him. Accept it and let him be hers. Why did she always object to his affection?

The footsteps weren't heard, however the gentle shuffling sound of someone walking filled the air. Meiko nudged him with her elbow just as he saw a little bit of movement from the corner of his eyes. Gakupo looked up through his eyelashes as the person passed in front of him and plopped down on the side of the couch opposite Meiko.

"What brings you here?" Meiko asked, speaking the exact question that was circling in Gakupo's mind.

Luka's angel sweet voice took over the silence as she ruffled through the pages in her book. She crossed her legs. "I just wanted a change of scenery, that's all," she said quietly, her sapphire eyes flicking in the direction of the other two for a brief instant before she focused her attention on her book.

Meiko turned back to Gakupo and winked before standing up. "I think I'm gonna go chill outside. It's a pretty nice day." She gave a half-hearted wave to Luka, who glanced up carelessly and muttered a goodbye. "Later, guys!" She flashed a smile at the Samurai before skipping off.

Gakupo could feel the air around him and Luka get tense the moment Meiko left the room, and he started fidgeting with the hem of his smokey grey tee shirt. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. Would she snap at him if he said something? Or would it lead to a friendly conversation for once?

"So..." he began slowly, glancing over to Luka as she lifted her head to look at him. "How're you?"

"I'd be better if you left me alone," she said emotionlessly, yet her words still made Gakupo's heart wrench. Luka dropped her eyes down to look at her book again.

"Can I ask _why_?"

"No."

"Alright then." Gakupo blinked and stared down at his lap. His body felt like it was heating up, his heart beating even faster. "Uh...please?"

Luka brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. "What?"

"I said _please_."

"Uh..." Luka swallowed and turned to look at him completely, the faintest traces of a blush lingering on her cheeks. She took in a slow breath of air before nodding and murmuring, "I just prefer to be left alone."

The purple-haired man nodded in acknowledgement and stood up. _Kaito, you better be right when you told me this_, he thought venomously as he told Luka, "I guess I'll go and leave you be, then."

Her book slammed closed. "I-I never said you had to go. I'd just prefer it if you didn't talk and disturb me," she stammered, the blush darkening.

"No, no." Gakupo flashed his palms as he backed away from her. "You told me you didn't want to be bothered, so I'll go, okay?" That said, he spun around and made his way back toward the stairs, leaving Luka to stare after him with her mouth agape.

He smirked. _It's already had an affect._

* * *

**_That's it! Hope you enjoyed! If there are any errors, don't hesitate to point them out! Thanks for reading!_**

**_.::Review Replies::._**

**_Lolligal99_**_: Thanks for your review! (: I did my best to make it seem like something realistic, and video game quarrels seemed like the best way to start it off. Lol, Len's just a daydreamer. XD Thanks!(:_

_**Clear Cyan**__: Haha! X3 Thank you so much for your compliments! As I told Lolligal99, I did my best to make it all seem realistic and relatable with the boys. Lol. XD Thanks for reading, reviewing, and following!_

_**AmiMinazuki**__: *has updated* Hope you enjoyed!_

_**3Alaska3**__: :3 Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter!_

_**Guest-e:**__ Lol, yea, Len's a desperate moron. XD Hope you liked this update!(:_

_**Lyric22**__: I knowww! XD I feel so bad for always making Piko be the rejected one. :P But yes, we fangirls love the little guy._

_**Adorable Reader**__: I don't usually read outside Rin and Len either. XD But I figured I should change it up a little and write for different couples. Thanks so much for reading! (:_

**_Leave a review, please?(:_**

**_(:Mizune_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**I AM SO SORRY! I take wayyy too long at updating this story! Gomen. *bows* I have way too many stories going, and I'm trying to give them all equal attention...unfortunately, I'm biased. D:**_

_**Enough rambling. Just enjoy it. (:**_

* * *

**Last Chapter.**

_"It's Gakupo; can I come in?" he replied, his voice muffled from the door that separated them._

_"No!" The pink-haired girl stood up and padded over to her bookshelf, dragging her finger along the spines of all the books as she tried to find another good one to read. She pulled one out and flipped it open as she sat back down on her bed. "Go away."_

_His reply came almost immediately. "Okay."_

_Luka tipped her head to one side. Did she hear him right? She hesitated for a few long moments before finally rising to her feet and making her way over to the door. Cautiously, she placed a hand on the knob and pressed her ear to the wood. She couldn't hear anything - no shuffling, no breathing. Had he really just left her so easily?_

_Slowly, Luka turned the doorknob and pushed it open, poking her head out and glancing down the hall. No sign of anybody. Gakupo was gone. He'd just left. Just like that. No question. No hug. Just left. Because she told him to._

_Luka turned to the left, then to the right, before backing into her room once again. She shut the door behind her and situated herself on her bed, holding her new book and reading it with a smile on her face. Yet...she couldn't help but feel that something was missing._

_:::::_

_The purple-haired man nodded in acknowledgement and stood up. Kaito, you better be right when you told me this, he thought venomously as he told Luka, "I guess I'll go and leave you be, then."_

_Her book slammed closed. "I-I never said you had to go. I'd just prefer it if you didn't talk and disturb me," she stammered, the blush darkening._

_"No, no." Gakupo flashed his palms as he backed away from her. "You told me you didn't want to be bothered, so I'll go, okay?" That said, he spun around and made his way back toward the stairs, leaving Luka to stare after him with her mouth agape._

_He smirked. It's already had an affect._

* * *

**Chapter Three.**

Gakupo's steps were slow as he made his way up the tall stairwell, hand grazing over the rail. His light purple gaze was set on the top of the stairs, and his lips were set in a smirk that he was clearly trying to dispose of before he could reach Kaito's room. As soon as he reached the top step, he could hear the sound of the guns on the video game before a simultaneous, "Awww!" filled the air, followed by feminine laughter.

"I told you guys that girls rule," a voice said, Gakupo recognized to be Miki, "and that I would kick your butts."

"Yea! I told you, too," Piko added.

"Piko, you're a guy. You're on their side. _You lose_," Miki insisted, clearly amused.

"Are you _sure_ he's a guy?" Len asked. "When was the last time anyone checked?"

"Oh, like you have room to talk, Ponytail!" Piko snapped back.

"Hey, this is a fashion statement." Gakupo could picture Len tugging on the band that held his short blond hair back. "Unlike your dress."

"It's a tunic!" Piko shouted.

Miki snickered. "Ah, the classic defense for a boy in a dress."

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Piko growled.

"Neither. I just like fueling the argument."

Figuring he'd listened in on the conversation long enough, Gakupo decided to push open the door to Kaito's bedroom - careful not to swing it into the wall like he did the last time. Upon hearing the _creeeak_ of the hinges, the four turned to look at the purple-haired Samurai who'd entered. Len and Kaito were sitting in their beanbags on the floor in front of the television, while Miki had apparently shoved Piko off his and forced him to sit in the floor. The game - whatever it was they were playing, Gakupo didn't know - had been restarted, so the room was mostly quiet. And it was an awkward quiet, too, especially for the purple-haired man, as Len and Kaito had devious smirks spreading across their lips.

"Well, did it work?" Kaito asked, breaking the silence that had been stretching for far too long.

Miki perked up from where she sat next to him, her eyes wide. "Did what work?"

Piko answered the question before Gakupo could tell him not to - he really didn't want too many people knowing about his attempts to win Luka over, and Miki had a tendency to talk a lot and...spill secrets. "Gaku's playing hard-to-get to make Luka love him."

"Oh!" Miki smiled. "It's about time something happened to get you two together. I mean, how irritating is it when two people are so_ obviously_ crushing on each other never get together because they're so damn oblivious and - _what_?" She broke off her long-winded rant when she realized that Kaito and Len had fixed her with a '_seriously?_' glare.

Gakupo blinked a couple of times before murmuring, "_Anyway_...Nothing big has happened _yet_, but I left her alone when she asked me to, and instead of staying away from me, she followed me into the living room."

Kaito's grin grew bigger by the second. "That's because it's become, like, _natural_ for you to be around her every second of the day! Without you, she feels incomplete!"

"You really think that's it?" Gakupo frowned. If he kept avoiding her, wouldn't she just get over him? He couldn't let _that_ happen. And anyway, it was just a little progress. What could he do next to make Kaito's plan go even further?

As if Kaito heard his thoughts, the blue-haired boy said, "Now, Gakupo, you need to keep it going. She says she's too good for you, right? So whatever you do, _don't_ let her get her fill of you."

Len giggled like a little school girl. "That's what she said."

Kaito shot the immature blond boy a harsh glare before turning back to the taller man. "By that, I _meant_ don't let her hug you or do anything of the sort until she _admits_ that she likes you, or wants you, I suppose." He tapped his chin with a glossy blue fingernail and pushed out his bottom lip in thought.

Gakupo raised a brow as he let out a heavy sigh. "Like that's ever gonna happen. She's so tsundere," he complained.

"She's even more tsundere than Miki," mumbled Piko with a teasing tone, jabbing his thumb in her direction.

Miki whipped her head to glare at him, her silky, cherry-red locks dancing around her body, and shouted, "I am_ not_ a tsundere!" Just as quickly, she turned to Len and softly asked, "Am I a tsundere?"

Len shook his head slowly, flashing his palms in surrender. "Not at all..." When she turned away from him to snap something at Piko, he rolled his eyes and mouthed, 'Women.'

"Just remember, if she thinks she's too good for something, then don't give it to her. Only do things for her if she asks nicely." Kaito smirked at his words, clearly pleased with himself.

Gakupo tilted his head to one side. "I-I suppose I can do that." A smile tugged at his lips. "I really owe you, Kaito, if this works."

"Well, _when_ it does," he said with a wink, "all I want is a huge tub of cookie dough ice cream. Got it?"

"Of course." He shook his head lightly before swiveling on his heel and heading back out the door. "I'll leave you guys to your games, and I'll see you at dinner, I suppose."

::::::

"Who cooked?" Rin asked as she plopped down in her seat next to Len, picking up her napkin and placing it on her lap.

Gumi set a beautifully decorated plate down in front of the blonde and smiled brightly. "I did."

"There better not be any carrots this time," Luka grumbled. The pinkette stole a glance at Gakupo beside her, but turned away and stuck her nose up into the air when she met his friendly, light colored gaze. His shoulders slumped at the rejection, but Kaito was the only one to notice from where he eyed them at his spot across from Gakupo.

"There's not," the green-haired girl replied cheerfully. "But there is carrot cake for desert."

A chorus of groans erupted in the dining room.

"Pass," Rin muttered, and a couple of others murmured agreement.

Gumi put her hands on her hips and scowled. "You could at least be polite. I mean, did I insult you when you made orange chicken? I mean, I'm pretty sure you forgot the 'chicken' aspect of that dish."

Rin blinked in surprise and turned to Len. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

The blond boy struck up conversation with Meiko to avoid answering her question. Rin frowned at him, but she turned back to her plate and began to eat.

Dinner wasn't quiet; it never was. There were ten of them sitting at the large oval-shaped table, four on each side and one on each end. Conversations would almost always start out with everyone included and was some kind of quarrel as to what was made for their meal, and it would slowly branch off from there. They began complaining about the Sesame chicken and rice Gumi had made - which, admittedly, was pretty good -and they had somehow gotten onto the topic of shopping, so the boys tuned themselves out to discuss something more...masculine. Like videogames.

Gakupo, however, kept his head down and eyes on his plate as he ate his food, avoiding the dinnertime chat. Until he heard the pink-haired angel beside him speak.

"Pass me the soy sauce."

He looked up through his thick purple bangs to meet Kaito's gaze. The ice cream lover gave a shake of his head so slight that Gakupo was sure he'd only imagined it.

"Did you hear me?" Luka only sounded agitated now.

Gakupo looked up to Kaito again before telling her, "Yea, I heard you."

"Then pass me the soy sauce."

He ignored her.

Kaito spoke up loudly, drawing the attention of everyone else who was sitting there at the table with them. He set his chopsticks down on the plate and held out his hand. "Can you _please_ pass the soy sauce, Gakupo?"

The purple-haired man looked up at him with gratitude and took the bottle in his hand. "Gladly." He glanced over at Luka, who narrowed her sapphire eyes at him with a new ferocity.

"What the hell do you take me for?" she snapped, abruptly rising to her feet and pushing the chair back with a loud squeal as she slammed her fists down on the table. "You've never done this to me before? Why the sudden change of heart!?"

"Luka, I-" Gakupo tried to say something, but she cut him off.

"I'm done. Thanks for dinner, Gumi." She didn't bother to push her chair in as she moved toward the exit of the dining room.

Gakupo pushed back in his chair and prepared to rise, but Luka snapped at him once again.

"Don't. Just stay here and don't bother me!" That said, she bounded out.

Gakupo looked to Kaito for guidance, but the blue-haired boy shook his head again.

:::::

_Why is he toying with me? _Luka thought as she slammed her door shut hard enough that it must have left the whole house to shake. She gathered her silky pink hair into her fists and yanked at it before collapsing onto her knees. _You're overreacting. He was just being stupid. _She shook her head fiercely. _He _has _been acting strange today. There's something going on... _She growled before releasing her hair and sucking in a few deep breaths to calm herself down. _It feels so weird not having him hovering over me all the time..._

Luka stood up and sat down on her bed, placing her hands between her knees. Maybe her constant rejections had finally turned him off. If he didn't show up in ten seconds...she knew that would be the answer.

_Ten. _

Gakupo had never simply left her so she could have privacy, especially not if she requested it of him.

_Nine._

He was always there, concerned for her. As much as she hated the intrusions, she had to admit that it was growing on her.

_Eight._

It pissed her off when he barged into her room, but when he left - after irritating the crap out of her, of course - she almost missed him. Even though he was right down the hall.

_Seven. _

Did that even make sense?

_Six._

After Luka had turned him down all those times, he must've given up.

_Five._

That was why he was being so hostile towards her. Okay, not _hostile_. Cold, maybe.

_Four._

After she refused him that afternoon, things must have set in. Gakupo was done with her.

_Three._

She never wanted him to be close to her like that; why did it hurt now?

_Two._

Luka sniffled, but refused to break down. She knew.

_One._

She knew that he wouldn't be coming for her.

_Zero._

* * *

**_So Gaku's doing some hard-to-get thing that's working - because she realizes that she actually wants him - but she thinks it's only because he's starting to dislike her. Make sense? I hope so..._**

**_Thanks to every single person who has reviewed for me!:D_**

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**.::Review Replies::.**

**Honeycloud of RiverClan: **_I don't know! I love the little shota!D: Thank youuu; I'm glad you like his character!(: And thanks for reviewing!_

**3Alaska3:** _Thanks!(: And thank ya for the review!_

**Shnerdle: **_Thank you!(: And thanks for the review!_

**Aza004:** _Haha(: I'm sorry my updates take so long:/ Hehe *laughs deviously* It certainly is having an effect. Thanks for reviewing!_

**XXGhirahim'sGloriousGoddessXX: **_OMG! Thank you, thank you! I love your stories! It's kinda like an honor to see a review from you. :3_

**Clear**** Cyan:** _No problem. (: I tend to do that because sometimes my updates lag...heh...I feel bad about that. :/ Thank you! I actually don't like making Luka such a tsundere because everyone else does...haha. Actually, while I wrote the last chapter, I was thinking I should've just made a lengthy oneshot, so here, I tried to add more of a difficulty for them. You do make a good point about, Piko, though. I'll probably bring that up at some point. (: And thanks for answering the question. :D I really appreciate reviews like yours since you analyze things like that.(: Thanks for reviewing!_

**Guest:** _Aww, thank you soo much!(: There really aren't that many that I've fallen in love with:/ Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the update!(:_

**xXKuchisaki HarukaXx:** _Thank youuuu! Sorry I took so long!D: I'll try to be more faithful(:_

**Emi Sae Rin:** _ASKDHAJAKJ I know!:DDD Here's an update!(:_

**Princess Poptart243:** _Hehehehe. *evil laugh* _

**Jello-is-awesome-123:** Lol, Luka's losing her tsundere attitude here...slightly. D: Lol. XD Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like it!(:

**AmiMinazuki:** _It really is...but he's still the same goofy Samurai we all know and love. It's Kaito's fault. D: Thanks for reviewing!:D_

**PinkSweets14:** _Lol, thanks XD I try my hand at humor, but sometimes I don't think it works haha. XD Thanks for reviewing!_

**Shadowthorn2013:** _Well I'm glad you found it, and I'm glad you like it!:D It's actually one of my favorite fanfics I've ever written, even though I barely update it. XD I just like Piko here, ya know?;) Thanks for reviewing - and reading!:D_

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**_If you haven't already, PLEASE GO VOTE ON MY POLL! I want to know your top 5 favorite VocaCouples. -Lol, see what I did there? :P_**

**_Anyways, huggles to all who choose to review!:D_**

**_(:Mizune_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey, hey! I'm back, sooner than expected, huh? Mm…well, I just felt like writing more GakuLuka, as opposed to my usual RinLen and MikiPiko. :3 Mostly because I'm surprised that so many people actually like this~! I feel so loved!:D**_

_**I actually took a really strange twist with this that I really had no intention to do when I started this fic…but it kinda fit with the whole concept of "playing their emotions like some kind of game," so I gave it a shot. Sorry if I disappoint anyone with it. **_

* * *

**Last Chapter.**

_Why is he toying with me? _Luka thought as she slammed her door shut hard enough that it must have left the whole house to shake. She gathered her silky pink hair into her fists and yanked at it before collapsing onto her knees. _You're overreacting. He was just being stupid. _She shook her head fiercely. _He _has _been acting strange today. There's something going on... _She growled before releasing her hair and sucking in a few deep breaths to calm herself down. _It feels so weird not having him hovering over me all the time..._

After she refused him that afternoon, things must have set in. Gakupo was done with her.

_Three._

She never wanted him to be close to her like that; why did it hurt now?

_Two._

Luka sniffled, but refused to break down. She knew.

_One._

She knew that he wouldn't be coming for her.

_Zero._

* * *

**Chapter Four.**

"You're an idiot. You know that right?"

"I've been told," Gakupo muttered as he crossed his arms and looked away from Meiko's firm chestnut gaze.

Everyone had finished their dinner not long ago, and they all went to go do whatever it was they did in the evenings. To be quite honest, the purple-haired man was surprised Meiko didn't abandon everything and run down to the basement where she could sit with a dozen bottles of sake in peace, but she actually requested to speak to him alone right after Luka stormed out of the dining room. Of course, now everyone knew what a moron he'd been in refusing to let Luka get her way – as she always did. But as Kaito whispered in his ear before leaving with Len, Piko, and Miki to finish their videogame showdown, "_Women have to be controlled."_

Gakupo didn't really agree with him. Sure, as a _man_, he should take up the dominant role in the relationship, but with Luka…that might not even happen. The girl was…different, to put it simply. She was bossy, rude, and forceful when she wanted to get her way, but she really had a good side. She was gorgeous – which Gakupo certainly didn't fail to notice – and she was sweet if she didn't have a reason to be pissed, though that was rare. In any normal person's eyes, her flaws would turn them away.

But to Gakupo, they only made her even more addicting. So, true, he was obsessed with her. And that was what got him in such a situation. Had he never laid his eyes on Luka, he would've never found himself in love with someone who refused to accept his feelings. He'd reached the point of desperation. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms, but not like he used to do every day – he wanted her to hold him back.

His mind flooded with the images of a certain pink-haired _angel _smiling and laughing while he ran his fingers through her long hair and held her close to him. Of her sitting in his lap and reading a book with a light blush spreading across her fair skin. Of her falling asleep on his shoulder during one of the movies that Neru forced them to watch every Friday night. Of her leaning up on her tip-toes to meet his lips for the first time…

"You shouldn't play around with her emotions like that," Meiko went on sternly, jerking him out of his fantasy. She placed her hands on her hips and paused to wait for Gakupo to respond, but he never did. The brunette heaved a sigh. "Where in the world would you get the idea that doing such a thing would make her love you?"

Gakupo squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe the plan hadn't really gone as expected… At the moment, there may as well have been a hole ripped right through his chest where his heart should've been. It literally _ached _to merely think of the object of his affections hating him. Because if Luka wasn't there, or actually hated him _with all her heart_, he had _nothing_.

He had no idea what to say, but thankfully, Meiko kept him from having to launch into a big explanation. The moment he got the words, "Kaito said-" out, she rolled her eyes and threw her hands into the air in an exasperated motion.

"Well _that_ explains it!" Meiko slapped her palm over her face and groaned. "How dumb can you be, to take advice from him? We're talking about the same guy who _cries _when people refuse to give him ice cream!"

Now that she mentioned it, going along with an idea from Kaito, of all people, seemed like a very dumb thing to do. But despite his strange infatuation with ice cream and his crying and wailing when he couldn't get his hands on some, he was actually a pretty smart guy.

"Nothing else I tried was working, so…" He trailed off, his voice failing him. For the first time ever when talking about Luka, he was left completely speechless. Everything Meiko said was making some kind of sense, and the more he thought about it, the worse he felt. _Damn, I screwed up._ He lifted a hand and combed his fingers through his bangs in frustration.

"Really, Gaku," Meiko sighed, letting her shoulders slump. "You have to be _sensitive_ when it comes to a girl's feelings. No matter how strong and cruel she seems, she still has _feelings_. And she's not stupid, either. There's no doubt that she's noticed your change, and she's probably getting suspicious."

"Well, what am I supposed to do!?" he shot back, whipping his head back to glare at her with the fiercest look that had ever shown in his violet eyes. Meiko took a step back, eyes widening in surprise, as he continued, advancing towards her with each word. "Do you expect me to give up on her!? When there's a possibility that she loves me back, and could return my feelings?! I can't, Mei, I just _can't_!"

She stared up at him in shock for a few long moments before placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling softly. "I understand your pain, really. How hard do you think it was to get Meito to like me?"

"Not too hard," Gakupo scoffed. "He's your genderbend; he would've already had an attraction to you."

Meiko chuckled quietly and wagged a finger at him. "It may have been that way with Gakuko, but Meito was so obsessed with Kaiko. And it really broke my heart, but as time went on, we actually got together." She blinked, urging Gakupo to speak, but he just nodded slightly for her to keep talking. "We communicated about this sort of thing. That's all you have to do with Luka. Just talk to her. Listen to what she has to say."

Gakupo groaned again as he raised an eyebrow. "You can't be serious. There's no way something that simple will work."

She shrugged. "Hey, it's worth a shot, is it not?"

"I suppose…"

::::::

_Knock, knock, knock._

Luka frowned at the sound of rapping on her bedroom door. She shot a glance in its direction, as though she could look through it and see who was on the other side. After a brief moment of contemplation, she decided to ignore it, and turned back to where she was _scritch scritch scritching _some song lyrics onto a scrap sheet of paper. But she'd only barely gotten anything down when she heard the knocks again, louder and more impatient this time.

Brushing some of her soft pink hair to the side, she swiveled in her chair and called out, "Come in," in as composed a voice as she could manage, considering how pissed she was at the moment.

The door creaked open to reveal the very person she hated, standing there with his brows knit together in thought and head tilted to one side as though he were asking for permission to enter all over again, since she actually knew it was him. But Luka turned away to stare back down at the paper on her desk, and he took that as an 'okay' to walk in. He quietly shut the door behind himself before padding over to her bed and taking a seat on it.

"What do you want, Gakupo?" Luka's voice was a whisper, and it was clear she was having an inward battle with herself one how to react to his presence. All in all, she managed to keep her calm, pretending to busy herself with what she was doing while the purple-haired man struggled to get his words out.

Gakupo wrung his hands together, looking down towards his lap as he stammered, "I…uh…think that I should apologize for…how I treated you at dinner." He lifted his gaze in her direction to see what her response would be.

Luka felt her heart lurch, but she was careful to not show how his statement affected her by doing something as foolish as blushing. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, making random marks on her paper with the red ink pen. "Oh?"

"Yea…"

There was an awkward moment of silence before the pinkette asked, even quieter than earlier, "Is that it?"

"Well, I figured you'd make me leave after that, so…"

_I'm really going to regret this. _Luka didn't so much as cast him a glance over her shoulder before saying, "You can stay as long as you like."

A pause. A _very_ long pause.

"…I'm sorry?"

"You heard me." She turned around to meet his gaze with her glittering sapphire eyes. Though she didn't give him a smile to back up her new…_peculiar _behavior, he could tell that she was being absolutely serious. "Well, until I feel like going to bed. Then I expect you to leave."

Gakupo stared over at her, dumbstruck, and gave a curt nod. "But…do you forgive me?"

"I guess." She shrugged and turned back to her work.

"Alright." Gakupo fell quiet for a few long moments. The silence was awkward, stretching on for much longer than either of them expected, before Gakupo finally got to his feet and headed towards the door. "I…erm…guess I'll just be going now," he told her uneasily.

"Sure. Whatever." Luka raised a brow to herself at his words. She flinched when her bedroom door shut, and slowly, Luka turned around in her chair to inspect her room for the purple-haired man. She couldn't help but frown when she realized that she was alone once again.

_No? What gives? He likes me, right? So why isn't he staying now that I've given him a chance?_

_**Yea…that was a twist I never intended to make. But is it okay? Let me know your thoughts, and if you guys want me to change it, I'll rewrite it^^**_

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**.::Review Replies::.**

**PurpleSweets13: **_Lol, it really does. XD Ha!X3 I'm trying to make them seem really childish. ^^ Glad it's . Thanks for reviewing!_

**XXGakupo'sSamuraiPrincessXX: **_Yay~! Thank you!_

**YellowFluffiesForever22: **_Thank you, thank you, thank you~! You're way too nice!:3 Ahh, yea, they have a strange relationship, lol. Glad you like it! And I could never not update for a whole year! (I did once, but I was grounded for creating this account without my parents knowing, so I had a reason. XD) Thanks for reviewing!_

**Shadowthorn2013: **_Heheh, Miki's hilarious. XD Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like it!_

**Clear Cyan: **_You people are soooo nice~! Yea, Kaito's almost always the idiot. I like making him kind of an idiot, but not literally a brainless twit like other people do, you know? Kaito's your favorite male? I don't really like him that much, honestly. /shot. Piko's my fave. XD Mm…carrot cake is delicious. Why, thank you, thank you~! Ahh, I don't want it to start getting really repetitive or anything, but…I feel that this chapter may have been a twist no one will like. D: Thanks for the review~! *huggles back*_

**3Alaska3: **_Well, she just figured out how to beat Gaku at his own game. XD_

**aza004: **_Yay~! I feel special now! Glad you like it!:D I feel bad if I don't update quicker, though, lol. :3 Thanks for reviewing!_

**Electricangel12: **_Woot! I was a little scared I just got myself a hater there for a sec. D: Thanks for the review:D_

**anime-hq-12345: **_Awww! Thank you! I'm glad you like it! I'm blushing now, for real. ^^ _

**Pokemon Guy 84: **_Ahh, that's okay. Luka's learned how to get back at him. :3_

**AmiMinazuki: **_Ahahahah! Maybe sooo~!:3_

**EtudeShiningMADNESS: **_Thanks~!_

**Fostersb: **_Ahh, thanks! Luka'll be getting concerned about this. ;)_

**Jambun460: **_Woah…*backs away slowly* No need for self-harm, now…I have an update and I present it to you~!_

_**(:Mizune**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**I'm baaaaaack~! Thanks for the reviews! They mean a whole lot! So I've been sitting at my computer for HOURS like "Hm…wonder what should happen next?" and I finally settled on something that I'm not too sure I really like, but whatevs. Gakupo and Luka are just insanely confused right now; I'll explain more at the end of the chapter, and hopefully it'll be understood. If not, constructively criticize it!**_

* * *

**STORY RECCOMENDATION: **_I wrote a oneshot kinda/sorta based on this. It's Chapter 15 of my story "It's the Holiday Season!" and is a slightly suggestive GakuLuka story that is like…an extreme outcome of Gakupo's 'game' in this fic, featuring a submissive Luka, which you really don't see a lot of… Read it if ya want; and if you don't want to, then at least enjoy this chapter!:D_

* * *

**Last Chapter.**

_"Well, I figured you'd make me leave after that, so…"_

_I'm really going to regret this. __Luka didn't so much as cast him a glance over her shoulder before saying, "You can stay as long as you like."_

_A pause. A __very__ long pause._

_"…I'm sorry?"_

_"You heard me." She turned around to meet his gaze with her glittering sapphire eyes. Though she didn't give him a smile to back up her new…__peculiar __behavior, he could tell that she was being absolutely serious. "Well, until I feel like going to bed. Then I expect you to leave."_

_Gakupo stared over at her, dumbstruck, and gave a curt nod. "But…do you forgive me?"_

_"I guess." She shrugged and turned back to her work._

_"Alright." Gakupo fell quiet for a few long moments. The silence was awkward, stretching on for much longer than either of them expected, before Gakupo finally got to his feet and headed towards the door. "I…erm…guess I'll just be going now," he told her uneasily._

_"Sure. Whatever." Luka raised a brow to herself at his words. She flinched when her bedroom door shut, and slowly, Luka turned around in her chair to inspect her room for the purple-haired man. She couldn't help but frown when she realized that she was alone once again._

_No? What gives? He likes me, right? So why isn't he staying now that I've given him a chance?_

* * *

**Chapter Five.**

_:::The Next Day:::_

He skipped breakfast that morning, resorting to munching on the last eggplant he had hidden in his bedroom just to avoid going down there where they would all stare at him and accuse him of being an idiot for how he treated Luka the night before. Not that he cared what people really thought of him; he just didn't want to see _her_, not after that awkward moment in her room last night. Well, she'd forgiven him, and that in itself was relieving. But the thing that worried him most was that _she didn't push him away_. That was far too out of character for her…

Gakupo sighed as he made his way over to the only window in his room, blocking out the sun with plum-colored curtains. He half-heartedly moved them to the side so he could gaze down at the yard. Just below him was the patio area that was right outside the kitchen, where a lot of them would hang out on a nice day beneath the large tan umbrella. He squinted; there was some movement coming from beneath it, but he couldn't necessarily tell who it was.

_I wonder if it's you, Luka?_

He unlocked and opened the window to let in some fresh air – at least, that was the excuse he was telling himself. In reality, he just wanted to see what voices he could recognize, and if Luka's angel-sweet tone was one of them. Gakupo rested his arms against the window sill and leaned out, his purple hair – still tangled from sleep – falling over his shoulders getting caught in the soft morning breeze. He let out a heavy sigh as he thought about his game.

_Maybe Meiko was right. I shouldn't have done this._ He took in a deep breath and let it out in another sigh as he hung his head. He was the closest he'd ever been to getting some kind of reaction out of Luka when it came to his feelings for her, but now she was getting the wrong idea. She probably thought – dare he say it – that he was trying to _tame _her, what with how he tried to make her _ask nicely _when she wanted something, or honoring her wishes for him to leave her alone just to make her beg for his attention. This was already more torturous than he ever thought it would be, yet it had only been…what, a _day? _He didn't like making Luka feel as though she had to plead or beg for something that she wanted, and Gakupo was the only one making her do that. How long before she moved on to someone who would let her be herself?

Maybe this game was something Kaito himself could easily pull off, but Gakupo wasn't a masochist. He didn't like seeing Luka so torn up about something so simple. They'd lived together for so many years, and he couldn't recall even _one_ time when she'd been so confused. _And it was because of him that she was so distressed. _He sighed.

"Geez, are you okay? You've been sighing for five minutes."

Gakupo noticeably tensed where he stood, muscles rippling along his bare arms. He most certainly did not like the idea that she'd gotten into his room without him hearing, especially since it was insulting to the expert Samurai skills he was supposed to have. And what he liked even _less_ was that he hadn't bothered to change, so he was still wearing – only – his pink boxers. _Pink. _And there were two things wrong with that fact. One, pink was _Luka's _color. Two, _real men didn't wear pink._

Reluctantly, Gakupo looked over his shoulder to meet Luka's sapphire eyes, a little surprised to see that they were narrowed to slits as though she were irritated. Of course, he really should've expected it. She was nicely dressed in a hot-pink tee shirt and short black cotton shorts that exposed her legs – almost every inch of her smooth, luscious pale skin was right there, visible to his eyes, and he could just imagine his calloused hands running along the length of them when they were –

"If all you're going to do is gawk, then I'll be leaving now." Luka's harsh voice broke him out of his fantasy, and he blinked in surprise as she spun around to head for the door that was cracked open.

Gakupo realized a moment too late that he was just a little too quick to reach forward and snatch her wrist to hold her back, and before he could stop himself, his voice rang out in an almost desperate tone. "W-Wait…I-I'm sorry. It…won't happen again." He mentally scolded himself for not sticking to Kaito's idea of the game, but…it was really hard to do so since he could clearly tell from the look in her sapphire eyes that it pained and annoyed her.

"Good." Luka stared intently at him for a few moments longer, not even bothering to wrest herself away from his grip. She turned to face him fully, his long fingers still wrapped around her slender wrist. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if everything was alright. We missed you at breakfast."

_We?_ Meaning, _all _of them – including her – missed him? Or _they_ missed him, and just harassed her about coming up and seeing how he was. Because, for her to willingly come up and visit was certainly not in character for her.

A thought struck him just then. He wasn't really being himself, either_._ _Could it be…that _my _Luka is trying to get me back? _Gakupo smirked at that.

"Okay, seriously. Quit spacing out on me," she said firmly, scowling at him as though she could tell he was thinking about her. Well, it wouldn't take a genius to figure it out…

"Eh…" _Only obey or acknowledge her if she asks nicely._ Kaito's words rang in Gakupo's ears, and for a few seconds, they drown out his own voice, the one that was telling him to not be an idiot and try to make her beg. The purple-haired man smiled nervously Luka for a moment as he tried to weigh the pros and cons of each option. But when she impatiently raised an eyebrow at his hesitation, he settled with changing the subject. "So what'd you need?"

Luka gently – not forcefully in any way as she would've been a couple of days ago – pulled herself free from his grip on her wrist to fold her arms across her chest. "Just to see if you overslept…or maybe, died in your sleep." She shrugged like it was no big deal.

"And why didn't you knock?"

"I did. You were too busy stalking to notice." Luka nodded towards the window that he'd left wide open. She rolled her eyes with a gentle shake of her head. "Well, seeing as you're doing fine, I'm leaving."

"Wait." Gakupo blinked slowly when obeyed, and he stayed quiet for a few moments longer, expecting her to turn around, but she didn't. "I want to tell you something."

"Then tell me."

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Gakupo had a hard time trying to figure out exactly how to tell her that he did like her, and that he was sorry for being such a jerk. He just wanted things to go back to normal between the two of them. Okay, maybe not _completely_ normal. He wanted to be able to be himself around her, but he wanted her to accept it, not try her best to avoid him. He liked the Luka that was snarky, and he loved the Luka that wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, to speak her mind. Now, she just seemed like she could be in the process of becoming his – for lack of a better word –_puppet_. Already, she was going out of her way to talk to him. That was definitely strange.

"Well?" Luka had turned back around to face him, her arms crossed.

"Er…n-nevermind." Gakupo decided it would be best not to say something to her so suddenly. She'd feel cornered, afraid, not sure how to respond.

"Well, alright then."

Gakupo bounded into the bathroom that was linked to his room – they all had a separate little bathroom, since there were far too many of them in one mansion to share only a few – and retrieved his violet robe that hung on a hook next to the sink. He slipped it on, tying the sash around his waist, and left his room quickly, darting down the hall to Kaito's. He pounded on the door repeatedly, until he got an answer a couple of minutes later.

"You okay?" Kaito asked carelessly. He had an iPod in one hand, and a pair of headphones around his neck that was still playing tunes that even Gakupo could hear. No wonder the guy took so long to answer the door; he was deafening himself with that music.

Gakupo pushed past the blue-haired boy and made his way into the room, padding instinctively to the three beanbags that sat in front of the small television where Kaito kept his own personal games. He plopped down on the red one, groaning. "Kaito, you've completely screwed over my chances with Luka."

"Oh? How so?" A small click could be heard, and the music stopped. Moments later, Kaito was joining the purple-haired man in another beanbag.

"She thinks I'm trying to shape her into something she's not. That I'm trying to make her beg for whatever she wants." Gakupo buried his face in his hands and groaned again, louder and more exasperated this time.

"Because you _are_." When Gakupo looked up, Kaito flashed him a mischievous smirk. "The goal is to make her equal to you. She thinks she's a princess and deserves special treatment. You're just going to make her realize that she can't expect to get everything handed to her, and you're going to show it to her the hard way."

Gakupo raised an eyebrow. "You said you got this idea from a movie, didn't you?"

"Yup." Kaito leaned back in a stretch and sighed out, "But I absolutely love the power of reverse psychology. You can get whatever the hell you want if you play with her like that." The blue-haired boy winked, but then he brought a finger up to tap his chin in respective thought. "Though, I guess it does have to do with how smart the girl is. I mean, Luka's a genius. There's obvious a flaw there. But Miku?" He chuckled darkly. "God, that girl is so dumb…"

More than a little irritated, Gakupo swiftly rose to his feet and started stomping towards the door.

"H-Hey! Where are you going?"

"To my room," Gakupo snarled back. "To rethink my advances on Luka."

::::::

_Knock, knock, knock._

Luka stood up and padded over to her door without bothering to think twice. If it were Gakupo, she'd tell him she didn't want to talk. If it were anyone else, she'd surely say the same thing. At the moment, all she wanted to do was sit and think. Gakupo had been so strange to her recently, and she tried to be just a little bit more accepting of him…and he still blew her off? Fuming, the pinkette flung her door open, only to see Miku standing there in her signature blue-and-white striped bikini, water dripping from her chin and soaked teal twintails hanging low.

Miku blinked up at her innocently. "Aren't you coming? We've all been waiting for you."

"I don't feel like it anymore." Luka turned around and made her way back into her room, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"Why?" Miku bounced in after her, dropping onto her knees in front of the pink-haired girl to look up at her. "Gaku won't be there. It's just us girls, like we planned."

Luka only sighed.

"So Gaku is the one who's bothering you, hm?" Miku leaped up to her feet, taking Luka's hand and dragging the girl up so that she was standing. "Meiko can help you, I'm sure! C'mon! They're all waiting for you, anyway!"

"Eh…" Luka glanced down at her bare feet uncertainly. She really didn't want the others knowing so much about her personal life and relationship problems, but…what other choice did she have? She couldn't figure things out for herself. That would take far too long. A little advice couldn't hurt. "Sure, I suppose. Just let me get changed."

Miku's eyes brightened enthusiastically, and she bounced up and down a couple of times. "Ooh! Which suit are you gonna wear? Gaku's in Kaito's room, you know. If we wait for just the right time, he'll see you in something so sexy~!"

Luka frowned, turning swiftly away from Miku so the immature tealette wouldn't see her blushing. She reached into the top drawer of her dresser, yanking out the first thing she touched. And it just so happened to be the bottoms to that light-pink skirted bikini Meiko had gotten her for her birthday the year before so she would stop wearing suits to the pool that didn't look attractive enough. She let out a loud groan just as Miku snatched them from her and held them in front of her own waist.

"Oooh! Excellent choice! Gaku will think you're super-hot in this!" Miku let her joyous laugh ring in the air.

Luka snatched them back after fishing for the top. "I'll look like a prostitute," she growled, but slammed the door to her bathroom to change into them anyway. She didn't like to boast, but she knew that she looked really attractive in such a swimsuit, anyway. Luka ruffled her hair a little, allowing a few locks to hang in front of her shoulders and the rest to cascade down her back, before she joined Miku back in her bedroom.

Miku squealed in excitement before taking Luka's hand and pulling her towards the door. "Now let's go~! Meiko will be able to help you out of this predicament~!"

Reluctantly, Luka followed the tealette out of her own bedroom, only to be greeted by Gakupo just as he walked past her door. She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment until he dipped his head to her and murmured her name in acknowledgement, doing the same to Miku. Then, he just continued on towards his own bedroom at a brisk pace.

Miku nudged Luka in the side with a sharp elbow, smirking. The two made their way down the hall and to the stairwell in peaceful silence. Luka's eyes were narrowed and she was blushing heavily at the thought that so many Vocaloids – mostly the perverted boys – were seeing her in that skimpy bikini. They headed on down to the basement, where the best features of the Vocaloid mansion were held – a very relaxing, yet small, hot tub among them.

Once they were in sight of the pool area, blocked off by walls with large glass windows, they were greeted by a chorus of shouts from the group of girls who'd already taken up most of the space.

Gumi lifted her hand in a cheerful wave. "Glad you could join us, Luka~!" she sang as the pinkette and her teal-haired friend approached.

Meiko shifted from where she sat next to Rin and allowed Luka the space to slip in beside her. Miku took the tiny remaining space between Gumi and Haku, letting out her breath in a long, drawn out sigh as she submerged herself up to her chin in the bubbling-hot water.

"So, Luka, what kept you?" Neru asked, eyeing her with suspicious golden eyes.

Luka shifted uncomfortably in the cramped hot tub, letting her legs rest atop the other girls'; there simply wasn't enough room for them all to chill there comfortably, but the hot, steamy water was, admittedly, very relaxing. She shrugged slightly, trying to avoid all the curious gazes that were resting on her at that very moment. "Nothing import-"

"It was Gaku~!"

The pink-haired girl frowned at Miku, but blushed all the same.

"Oh…" Neru paused for a moment while Luka glanced past Meiko to look at her curiously. "I heard what happened at dinner last night with him. I'm…so sorry."

Haku nodded, her brow knit together in pity. "No guy should treat a girl like that."

Meiko poked Luka's shoulder as though to get her attention first, but she spoke loud enough for all of the girls to hear. "Oh, I'll have you know that I had a very long heart-to-heart with Gakupo about his actions."

"Really?" Miku leaned forward, mouth opened slightly in surprise, and Neru ended up speaking for her before she could finish.

"What'd he say?"

"A lot of very interesting things…" Meiko smirked.

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_**Should Meiko tell them all what Gakupo told her, or not? Because then Luka would know everything…and she could probably have a bit of fun. Eh…I dunno. I've no clue where to go with it now. XD **_

_**SO IF YOU'RE CONFUZZLED ABOUT THEIR INSANE PERSONALITIES: Gakupo and Luka are both extremely confused. They're not sure how they should act around each other, because of Gakupo's attempt at following Kaito's advice. Luka's trying to be more accepting of him so that he might act normally around her again. And Gakupo wants to go back to being himself but he's too afraid that she might start rejecting him again.**_

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**.::Review Replies::.**

**Konjiki No Yami: **_Yup, Luka does like him. She'll admit it to herself; she's just too tsundere to admit it to his face. XD _

**Scarlet Eventide: **_You're welcome. :3 And thanks for the review~!_

**YellowFluffieForever22: **_Thank youu! *flails arms* Lol, there are some pretty good GakuLuka fics out there, but they're harder to find. :/ That's the point. :3 Gakupo was supposed to change so quickly so that Luka would get even more suspicious of him. If that makes sense. XD Thanks~!_

**Shadowthorn2013: **_Yay, thanks~!;) Luka's decided that she'll try to be different to get his attention. :3 Now they're both just toying with each other based on how the other is acting. They're not sure how to be. XD *opens box* Aww! Neko!Piko? How'd you know to combine my two favorite things in the world? XD_

**Clear Cyan: **_Aww, but I like happy endings. Sorta. Depends. If it's like terribly violent and bloody, I'm all for the cruel, depressing endings. Muahaha! Ah, yea, it was supposed to be written as "women /have/ to be controlled." Thanks for pointing that out. And yea, I felt like I was insulting myself in a way by writing that. XD Aaaanyways, I'm glad you like it. I was actually really afraid of this chapter, because they're still screwing around with their personalities to 'counteract' the other's, I suppose you could say. I barely know any Kaito songs (only one, unless it's a group song, and that one is I Wish They'd Just DieX3) But he is a really cool character. :3 Ah, Len used to be my favorite, but then I saw Piko. XD I have a thing for the shotas; they're just so KAWAII! It's probably that song Spice! that makes so many people like Len. I dunno? (*cough* Piko has a version, too *cough) XD Thanks for reviewing!_

**Aza004: **_*runs away* Nuuu! Quit being meeeaaaan! ;3 Ahh, either way, relationship or not, you don't want your feelings played with. (coming from someone who was in only one, innocent fake relationship. XD) Ahh! Thanks so much for the info! I'll have to look into that SAI when I get a laptop for my B-day! (I mean…IF *sniffle*) Mm, you also need to tell me the name of that artist on pixiv you mentioned in a review to my other story. I wanna see them ;)_

**XXGakupo'sSamuraiPrincessXX: **_Ahh, I thought that was you. :3 Juuust wait for the special moments. :3 Gakupo is a good character to have an infatuation with. :3 _

**Pokemon Guy 84: **_What Luka's doing isn't necessarily a plan; she's just confused and suspicious of Gakupo's actions. Ahh, sorry that it's confusing._

**Jambun460: **_Oh wow. *o* That makes me feel so honored that you like it this much:3_

**Guest: **_Dang, I should've set up for that to happen. XD Thanks for reviewing!_

**Twins-Chan: **_Aww, thank youuu!:D Lol, I try not to make Meiko TOO much of a drunk. :3 When Rin makes orange chicken, she forgets to add the chicken. . Yup! Genderbends don't get enough love. :3 Thanks for reviewing!:D_

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_**Reviews are awesome. Constructive criticism is even more awesome. And, uh...cherries are delicious. *o***_

_**(:Mizune**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hiya~! I'm baaaack! And whuuuut. THIS MANY REVIEWS!? *glomps you all* I FREAKING LOVE YOU GUYS!**_

_**So anyway, I'm listening to Oliver's Vocaloid3 voice demo thingy (Mizune, you're just a taaaad bit late on that….) but can you believe I never cared to listen to a full Oliver song (that's not a duet) until TODAY? OTL And his voice is almost as cute as Piko's.**_

_**ALMOST. I probably only think it's cute because he has British moments, and I'm literally obsessed with British accents. It's gotten so bad that I sometimes slip into one when I don't mean to. (I've been practicing; hells yea.)**_

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**SPECIAL THANKS TO: **_Clear Cyan. For being awesome and assisting me in figuring out what to do with this chapter. :3 All your help is greatly appreciated! (and btw, I totally would've PMed you some more, but my parents get all touchy about that stuff T.T)_

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**Last Chapter. **

_Meiko poked Luka's shoulder as though to get her attention first, but she spoke loud enough for all of the girls to hear. "Oh, I'll have you know that I had a very long heart-to-heart with Gakupo about his actions."_

_"Really?" Miku leaned forward, mouth opened slightly in surprise, and Neru ended up speaking for her before she could finish._

_"What'd he say?"_

_"A lot of very interesting things…" Meiko smirked._

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**Chapter Six.**

"Be sure you think of something good, because trust me, Gakupo, that girl needs controlling!"

Gakupo whipped his head around to shoot Kaito one of his fiercest glares, his amethyst eyes blazing with an anger that rarely any person had ever seen. He opened his mouth to say something, his hand on the handle of Kaito's door as he pushed it open, but he was unable to find any words that would be…appropriate. The only thing he could think of snapping at the blue-haired pervert would be a bunch of profanities that would – no doubt – come out in a scream loud enough for the whole mansion to hear. He clamped his mouth shut, biting on his lip with a heavy sigh before backing out and slamming the door.

He really couldn't explain how badly he wanted to just wrap his big hands around Kaito's throat and strangle the boy right then. It was all his fault, after all, for planting such ridiculous thoughts in Gakupo's head.

But then…it was also Gakupo's fault for trying to change the natural course of their relationship.

Gakupo frowned, his gaze fixed on his shoes. _My fault, my fault, my fault, my fault._ He couldn't stop repeating it in his head, not even when he heard a pair of familiar voices coming from down the hall – maybe just a couple of feet ahead of him. _My fault, my fault my f-_ He barely managed to catch himself in time, barely able to prevent himself from walking straight into Luka _herself._ He frowned immediately upon meeting her blank sapphire gaze.

_She's…only…in…_

The purple-haired man dipped his head and murmured her name quietly, aware that if he were to speak up, his voice would crack pathetically, and he would surely, stutter, too. It was a wonder that, after getting a – _brief!_ – look at her exquisite body, he wasn't a complete mess there in front of her.

But…he could definitely feel it.

_Oh, yea_. He could feel it.

Gakupo clasped his hands together and gave Miku the same acknowledgement before pushing past them both to head for his own room. He slammed his bedroom door shut much louder than intended before leaning back against it and sinking to the ground with his flaming face buried in his hands. _Oh, damn it all_. Gakupo's heart was beating like a rocket, blood rushing to his cheeks, and there was no doubt that Luka had seen him _blushing_. If it hadn't been for that sexy body of hers – just displayed to him in such a revealing bikini like some kind of gift from Master – he wouldn't be in this situation.

What _situation?_ Well, obviously _hormones_ were involved.

Gakupo let out a ragged sigh, slowly moving his hands so that he could open his eyes and stare across his room, towards the open window. Much like the autumn wind that swirled around with a few fallen leaves, his mind whirled and buzzed with thoughts that would continue to move around, but never leave. His hands shook, his mind reeled, his heart kept thumping in his ribcage so hard that he figured it would burst, and _nothing_ was letting up.

Why did those feelings have to escalate at the worst possible moments?

It took him a minute to actually feel like standing up and heading to his bathroom to splash some cold water on his face, hoping that maybe the chill would get rid of the redness that seemed to stain his skin, glowing like it would always be there to haunt him. He scowled at himself, but rolled his eyes and went to get himself some real clothes – something other than a purple robe, of course, because it would be embarrassing to walk around in something like that all day.

Not that he planned on leaving his room, of course. He couldn't risk another run-in with Luka.

He'd have to stay locked in there until he figured out exactly how to talk to her.

Gakupo shot a glance at the clock and groaned. _Even if that meant starving to death…_

::::::

"You have to tell me!" Luka's voice was demanding, even slightly desperate as she grabbed Meiko by her shoulders and yanked her forward until their noses were brushing. Luka had never thought of herself to be the violent type – unless she was defending herself from those perverted guys, of course – but now, her eyes glowed with an all new kind of rage. Her lips were set in a firm scowl, her muscles tense, and just everything about her seemed to be threating, despite the fact that she seemed to be slowly unraveling. "You have to tell me what he said!" she begged.

Meiko's smile was soft, her chestnut gaze shining with pity. "I'm really not at liberty to say, Luka," she told her as politely as possible, gently pulling herself from the pinkette's grip so she could rest a hand on her shoulder, her red fingernails tapping against Luka's skin. "What he told me is something between me and him only."

Luka's brow knit together, her sapphire gaze suddenly becoming watery. "P-P-Please, M-Mei…Why w-would you even b-bring it up th-then…?"

"Because…" Meiko grinned, reaching up to brush some of Luka's pink locks behind her ear. "Sweetie, I can't give you details, but you have to trust me on this. Things _will_ change, okay?"

Luka couldn't explain how much she appreciated Meiko's motherly attitude, especially on such a touchy subject. Though, she really hated that _someone _finally saw her cry. At least she wasn't bawling her eyes out, though; that, she was glad for. But she couldn't stop herself from flinging her arms around Meiko and holding her tight for comfort while her weak whimpers and sobs filled in the silence that had grown over the past few moments. For a short time, the pink-haired girl completely forgot about the others who were crowding in the same little hot tub as she and Meiko.

She really wouldn't have cared, either. She wanted answers; she wanted the pain to go away. She wanted things to go back to normal for them, but something told her that, after the events that caught the attention of everyone in the Vocaloid mansion, that would never be able to happen.

"W-Why is h-he d-doing this to m-me…?" Luka asked through her heart-wrenching sobs, burying her face into Meiko's neck so her unattractive reddening skin and poofy eyes wouldn't be visible to the others looking on. "I-I th-th-thought…"

"Just wait things out, Luka." Meiko combed her fingers through Luka's long pink hair, one of her hands patting the girl's back. "Something will work out. And please, girl, stop crying. What happened to '_the great Luka does not cry_,' huh?"

Luka pulled away enough to meet Meiko's gaze and whispered in a near-silent voice that the brunette was barely able to hear, "That was before I realized how much love hurts."

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_**I feel like my quality went down. I want Luka to start getting desperate. She never really understood what it felt like to love someone who's not there until now. Thus, why she's crying. And she just admitted that she's in love. Hope it makes sense. X3**_

_**School's starting in 6 days, so I seriously want to try to finish this story out. I predict…less than 5 more chapters.**_

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_**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GAKUPO~~~~! WE ALL LOOOOVE YOU~!**_

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**.::Review Replies::.**

**The Midnight Artist: **_Thank you so much! *noms cookie*_

**Aza004: **_Yay~ That makes me feel honored. X3 I'm trying to make Luka seem more helpless now. I like her being less tsundere and stuff, the more I think about it X3 Teehee…Gaku in pink. :3 Ahh, I saw that doujin before. Absolutely AWESOME! Thanks~ :3_

**Konjiki No Yami: **_Why not? ):_

**Rosie-chan: **_*o* I-I-I-I-I'm sooo honored!:D Tell your friend thankyouthankyou for me!:D Omnom, a cherry! Thankies~_

**Vector Zero: **_Lol, that review made me laugh. X3 So much randomness in the beginning teehee. OMGZ, I LOVE PANCAKES! *noms* You guys are gonna make me fat with all this virtual food! XD_

**YellowFluffiesForever22: **_AH! Sorry for the confusion! In my version, I see EVERY Vocaloid/UTAUloid/fanmade/etc. living in one mansion, except living in different 'wings' of the mansion according to their classification. (Genderbends in one wing, Vocaloids in one, fanmades in the next, utaites in another, etc.) I like your idea of Miku riding into space. *dark chuckle*_

**PandaPuppet: **_Good plan. May do that. :3 Thanks~_

**Pokekid84: **_…I might. I just might. Not sure yet. XD Thanks~_

**Shadowthorn2013: **_asdfghjkl; I still have to review your stories. D: I suck. SPOILER ALERT: Half of your idea will be used. X3 That orange and chicken thing is too perfect. Too perfect. *thinks of a way to use it* OH MY GAWD CHERRIES! _

**Clear Cyan: **_And here I shall probably spend 30 miaiq (that's what happens when I stub my toe on the desk while typing XD) 30 MINUTES typing out a reply. XD Ah, I hope I used your idea semi-right, in the way you were expecting it. Probably not, I suck at things like that, like really bad. Lol, you don't want Gaku to go to Piko? That's okay, he'll get some unexpected advice... But it's not from Luka, Meiko, Kaito, OR Piko. X3 You'll never expect it! Muahaha! Kaito's just an idiotX3 I don't like Miku, so I almost always give her a personality that people can easily hate. And that whole swimsuit thing, I was actually planning for some flustered Gakupo and Luka talk, but decided against it. I was just too lazy to rewrite it. XD Lol, Vocaloid logic. Len, 14, makes a song about sex. Kaito, 21(?), makes a song about ice cream. Listen to "Headphone Actor." Piko's voice is all deep and manly, and then it's get all shota-ish; you'll never believe it's the same guy. Lol, that double meaning. DX I actually didn't learn what it meant until shortly before I posted that chapter. I read my fanfics to my mom (strange, right?) and I was reading something where Piko and Miki were having an argument and she wanted to know why…my answer? "Piko stole her cherries!" …And then, Mizune gains some knowledge from a very amused parent…_

**Fostersb: **_Omg, you guys are giving me such great ideas but I can't use them all! *cries* Thanks so much for the review~ I enjoy reading your thoughts on it!:D_

**Twins-chan: **_I totally would do accidental kisses if it weren't too overused. ): I'm trying to make this as unique as possible. XD Thanks, though! I appreciate the ideas!:D_

**Antheasa: **_*blush* Thank you so much! :D _

**Guest: **_I sadly decided for only a few words to be spilled. D:_

**Sivartius: **_Thanks soo much for all your reviews! And all your compliments! *o* Luka and Meiko may have a little chat away from the others….hm…Thanks for everything! I totally appreciated it! And the whole "He's toying with me" thing...you have a point. But I'm trying to make her seem like she's really overreacting about stuff and taking it as something worse than it really is. _

**Kuro-Mugi: **_Oh noesD: I hope you finished that assignment on time. XD Thanks for the review~_

**Spoiled princez: **_I feel so honored! *o* I'm really glad you enjoyed it! And thanks bunches for all the reviews! :D _

**hanisu93: **_I'm so sorry I took so long!):_

**KawaiiJelloUsagi: **_Meiko gave a hint…so 'tis a medium-ish story! XD Lol…Miku is never smart in my world. X3 Thanks for the review!:D_

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_**(:Mizune**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**I actually planned on this chapter being fairly short and more of a filler just for time to progress a little, but since apparently people don't agree with short chapters (*cough* literally, every single one of you who reviewed *cough*) I made it longer and now…Well, I'll say more at the ending author's note.**_

_**For the sake of randomness, my parrot is currently in the other room saying, "No." with a British accent over and over and over and over and over – and OMG SHE WON'T SHUT UP!**_

_**Oh, and we're starting with Luka. Yay~ Let's shake it up a little XD**_

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_**THANKS TO: **__Shadowthorn2013 for the dinnertime idea. X3 I can't take credit for the conversation about their food; it was purely her idea XD_

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_**Enjoy~**_

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**Last Chapter.**

_"W-Why is h-he d-doing this to m-me…?" Luka asked through her heart-wrenching sobs, burying her face into Meiko's neck so her unattractive reddening skin and poofy eyes wouldn't be visible to the others looking on. "I-I th-th-thought…"_

_"Just wait things out, Luka." Meiko combed her fingers through Luka's long pink hair, one of her hands patting the girl's back. "Something will work out. And please, girl, stop crying. What happened to 'the great Luka does not cry,' huh?"_

_Luka pulled away enough to meet Meiko's gaze and whispered in a near-silent voice that the brunette was barely able to hear, "That was before I realized how much love hurts."_

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**Chapter Seven.**

When dinnertime rolled around, Luka still hadn't heard from Gakupo, not since the moment she ran into him in the hallway. And he hadn't been the only one affected by the unexpected collision; sure, he probably felt really awkward being around the girl he now _hated _– as Luka assumed – but she really didn't like the way Miku had pretty much planned for something like that to happen. To put it simply, Luka was _very_ embarrassed by her friend's attitude, especially in the sense that the teal-haired girl had wanted them to see each other like that, Luka in a swimsuit and Gakupo in a robe.

Purple was quite a manly color, though, especially when he was wearing it. He could definitely _rock_ anything purple.

Luka shook her head rapidly to clear her thoughts, and while the action caught the attention of everyone who was sitting at the oval-shaped table, no one spoke up for the simple fact that they_ all_ knew. They all knew of Gakupo's actions towards her and they all knew how much it was killing Luka inside, but none of them even had a clue that it had been Kaito to put it in the eggplant-loving man's mind to do such a thing.

Not even Luka.

The silence at the table was definitely awkward – and Luka couldn't deny that she almost felt empty because Gakupo hadn't taken his usual spot next to her; in fact, he hadn't showed up for dinner at all.

_Probably so he doesn't have to see the ugly face of someone he hates. _Luka's mind kept telling her this, and even though she continued to fight against it and tell herself it wasn't true, she kept leaning toward that option more and more. Her gaze was fixed on the place mat in front of her, her sight blurring up as her eyes became glassy with unshed tears. She didn't want to cry again. Luckily for her, everyone just pretended as though what happened in the hot tub never happened. It was as though she'd never cried, never spoken aloud that she had – in fact – been in love with Gakupo the whole time.

There was a small _creeeak_, and Kaito spoke up. "This again!?" His voice was followed up by the sound of dishes clanking together.

Normally, it would've peaked Luka's interest, but she kept her head bowed at the table, only listening to the conversation and catching hints of what was going on by the smell that wafted around her.

Meiko noticed this, and, with a friendly tone, suggested, "Luka, why don't you go into the kitchen and help Rin pass out the plates?"

Luka glanced up and met Meiko's concerned chestnut gaze, feeling a bit reassured by the gentle smile on the brunette's face. She nodded once, feeling to down to do anything else, and rose to her feet to follow the young blonde back into the kitchen. Uninterestedly, Luka reached out to take two plates – one in each hand – and glanced over to Rin as she did the same.

"Those are for Miku and Gumi," the blonde girl said, nodding to each one in turn. "They like less to keep up their girlish figure, or something like that."

Luka didn't bother to say anything about how she already knew that; she just went on with wordlessly serving those whose plates she randomly picked up, and then took her spot again at the table. She ignored the looks everyone was clearly trying not to give her – they really didn't know what to think of the fact that she wasn't speaking much at all for the first time in quite a while, but they didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. Absent-mindedly, Luka poked at the chicken in her plate with her chopsticks, not really feeling that hungry. Even though the smell was certainly appetizing and it looked delicious, she just didn't feel like it.

"So I see you like a bit of chicken with your oranges, after all?"

"Sh-Shut up!"

Luka glanced up to see Rin pouting, staring down at a plate with only a measly two or three pieces of chicken, with a stack of orange slices next to it. Her gaze was miserable as she watched the little blonde girl stick out her tongue at her mirror image, which he responded to by a quick, apologetic kiss on her lips. It went without saying that seeing the little blooming romance killed her inside, and Luka quickly averted her gaze back to her plate.

Once again, Meiko decided to step up and try to help Luka out of the situation. "Luka, if you aren't feeling well, you can go upstairs."

"Thanks, Mei." Luka abruptly stood up, her hands gripping the side of the table while her pink hair fell around her like a curtain. Her mouth was opened, and she was prepared to say something else. But, Luka just sighed and turned away to leave the dining room.

Her steps were swift; she wanted nothing more than to be in the privacy of her own bedroom – in case she were to accidentally have a breakdown or something; she really didn't want to collapse right there where anyone could end up seeing her if they just happened to be passing by. But then…she didn't want to go all the way upstairs…because she'd have to pass by Gakupo's room. And she didn't want to run the risk of seeing him face to face; it would break her heart even more.

_Why do I even care about him so much? I hated him a little while ago… _Luka was trying to be honest with herself, but perhaps she hadn't truly hated him as much as she thought. Maybe she actually did like him before all this happened, and now that he wasn't all clingy around her, she realized what she had before – she realized exactly what she missed more than anything else in the world.

She missed Gakupo.

No, she loved him. And she wanted him back.

Luka wiped her eyes with her fingers to keep the tears from actually falling, but she sniffled anyway. It was too much for her to handle. Normally tough and strong-willed, she really didn't know what to think of the feelings surging within her at that very moment.

She stopped in her walk to her room and turned to look at the door next to her, a wooden sign nailed into it with a name decorated in neat purple marker. A smile ghosted across her lips as her heart took an unexpected leap. She lifted one hand into the air, her fingers curled into a fist, and she took in a deep breath of air to gather all the strength she'd need to speak to him when he answered. Then, she let it out as her hand neared the door.

But she couldn't do it.

Luka stopped herself just in time to make a tiny, barely audible _tap_. Talking to him wouldn't do much good now. She'd cry; she'd make a fool of herself. She'd look stupid, a flushed and crying mess while he'd stand aside and watch her like he didn't even care.

At least, that's how she pictured it would go down. He didn't care for her anymore, after all, right?

Letting out another sigh, the pinkette turned and headed for her own bedroom.

::::::

Gakupo was quite surprised no one bothered him while he stayed locked up in his room. Especially Kaito; he'd assumed that blue-haired jerk would come knocking and try to offer some other ridiculous excuse for why he insisted that Gakupo should try to act so controlling towards Luka. But Gakupo didn't want to be fooled into doing something stupid again. It already broke his heart enough to see Luka in so much pain – and because of something he'd done, too. It was all his fault.

For some reason, those words were the only things that passed through his head the entire afternoon, well into the night. _It's all my fault. All my fault. My fault. _Gakupo tried everything to get his mind on something besides Luka. He tried to read a book – the one Luka had thrown at him and he'd taken. He tried to sing some random catchy song so that tune would get stuck in his head in place of his current dilemma. He tried taking a nap, but his dreams were haunted by his dumb decisions. Nothing worked. Guilt was everywhere, clouding his mind.

Gakupo rolled onto his side to look at the clock, and he stared at the numbers for several seconds before he was able to figure out that, at just past midnight, no one would be up and he could go grab a quick snack – and get a change of scenery. That would certainly be great. He was awful tired of staring at plum colored walls and posters of himself and the other Vocaloids.

The purple-haired man got out of bed and walked over to the door, not bothering to fix his messy hair or straighten up his clothes – which were wrinkly from a restless nap. He left his room as quietly as he possibly could, tiptoeing down the hall until he was well away from everybody else's rooms. Walking down the stairs in the dark didn't bother him; he knew the place like he knew the back of his hand. And once he reached the kitchen, the large glass window allowed enough silver moonlight to shine through so he wouldn't need to turn on any lights.

Gakupo reached for one of the many bananas sitting on the counter and began to peel it.

"Len is _so_ gonna kill you for eating that."

"Yea, well, eggplants get old after a while." Upon first hearing the voice, he'd jumped slightly because he hadn't been expecting anyone else to be around. But he relaxed pretty quickly. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I knew you'd be coming down here at some point in the night because a big, strong Samurai like yourself needs to eat. You can't just keep starving yourself like you've been doing. I mean –"

"Miki." Gakupo turned around to look at the girl who sat on the countertop, swinging her legs back and forth, his voice firm enough to cut her off before she could really begin to ramble nonstop. "Why aren't you in bed?"

She straightened up immediately, a big smile forming on her lips. "Well, you see, I wanted to get some advice from you."

"Me?" Gakupo took a final bite of the banana, tossing the peel into the trash can.

"Yup!" She sucked in a deep breath, and Gakupo fought the urge to groan, aware that she was about to go on a long-winded speech. "You see, I kinda like Piko, but he acts like he hates me. Okay, maybe not all the time, but _most _of the time he's mean to me and stuff. Like, not bad, but it makes me feel like he doesn't like me. I dunno if that's just how he is or if he does it because he actually likes me back but doesn't want me to know…I mean, sometimes he treats me like crap. And…it really hurts. I just don't know what to do about him."

"Well…" Gakupo fell quiet long enough to get himself a glass and fill it with some water, taking a small sip before he answered her. "Any person can tell that Piko's head over heels for you. And what he does is his way of showing affection. Have you not even noticed how mean you are back to him? I mean, you kinda start it most of the time."

Miki gasped. "I…I am?"

"Yea. I suggest you go and apologize to him for it." Gakupo tilted his head back as he took another drink.

The redhead chuckled. "See, you should really follow your own advice, Gaku~!"

Gakupo did a double-take in her direction, his amethyst eyes widening. "Wh-Wha…?"

"Idiot!" Miki leaped down from the counter and tilted her head back to look up at him with a joyful smile. "I don't have feelings for Piko! That was just the only way I could think to get you to realize what you've done!"

"But…" Gakupo turned away from her and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Miki had pretty much described his situation with Luka. She started off hating him, but now…._Luka thinks I hate her! _He glanced back over at Miki, who had crossed her arms and looked quite pleased with herself. "You, child, are a Goddess."

"I am pretty great, aren't I?"

_I have to go talk to Luka now. I don't care if it's midnight. This can't wait._

* * *

_**Woot! I might actually be able to finish this before school! (It starts in 3 days. *starts crying*)**_

_**I predict…2 more chapters. DX**_

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**.::Review Replies::.**

**XXGakupo'sSamuraiPrincessXX: **_Thank you so much! :D It's okay; I don't mind XD I'm just glad people are actually reading it X3 And I seriously need to quit being lazy and review your stuff DX_

**Fostersb: **_Thanks for the recommendation! I kinda-sorta used it (I tried!). Thanks for still reading, though! It means a lot!_

**Katize Luka: **_Thank you thank you thank you! XD I'm so glad you like it! _

**Clear Cyan: **_*repeated facepalm* I guess I'm just awesome like that, huh? XD jk, jk. Hope I caught you at a decent time with this update. XD Nah, nah, I like rambling! It makes me laughX3 I can't tell you…when I read that that first part, I'm just like, "HAAAA!" and I immediately dropped my iPod and covered my mouth while my mom just stared at me. XD (She's kinda used to it though. XD) I know it was short ): I just didn't want to make it seem like everything was happening in one chapter, and I'm personally not a huge fan of timeskips, so I was trying to go without one XD Like omg, you're comment about Gakupo greeting Miku and Luka like that…It didn't even cross my mind. It just happened XD *feels special* Thanks for correcting the errors! They're fixed. X3 Nah, you're not being mean; I appreciate it. :D (I use way too many faces XD Oh look, there's another one…) Lol, it made sense to me, but I'm one of those people who lack common sense and it takes me a while to figure something out – no matter how obvious. You should see me when someone cracks a ridiculous joke. ["Why didn't the skeleton cross the road? He didn't have the guts!" Me: *five minutes later* OHHH! HAHAHAH!] you were…WRONG! It was Miki! X3 I can't stop laughing at your Piko comments X3 And nope, I love rambling and pointless reviews, but only if you don't mind writing them XD_

**Rozinita: **_Sorry!D: Thanks for the review~_

**YellowFluffiesForever22: **_Sorry it was short T.T XD Thanks~! I'm glad you're liking it so much! Lol, McDonalds. X3_

**Spoiled princez: **_I agree. D': Thanks for the review~_

**Electricangel12: **_Ohohoho, she most certainly does now. X3_

**Twins-chan: **_Overused, but super cute X3 Thank youuu!:D_

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**_Review this story in its final stages? :3 Thanks for reading~_**

_**(:Mizune**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**The next update will definitely be sometime tomorrow (probably right before I go to bed, though. Because I procrastinate like that.) I just want you guys to guess the ending. And I might do an epilogue of some sort; I dunno. I was thinking about it and it seems like a cool thing to do.**_

_**Enjoy~**_

* * *

**Last Chapter.**

_The redhead chuckled. "See, you should really follow your own advice, Gaku~!"_

_Gakupo did a double-take in her direction, his amethyst eyes widening. "Wh-Wha…?"_

_"Idiot!" Miki leaped down from the counter and tilted her head back to look up at him with a joyful smile. "I don't have feelings for Piko! That was just the only way I could think to get you to realize what you've done!"_

_"But…" Gakupo turned away from her and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Miki had pretty much described his situation with Luka. She started off hating him, but now….Luka thinks I hate her! He glanced back over at Miki, who had crossed her arms and looked quite pleased with herself. "You, child, are a Goddess."_

_"I am pretty great, aren't I?"_

_I have to go talk to Luka now. I don't care if it's midnight. This can't wait._

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**Chapter Eight.**

Gakupo paused when he reached Luka's bedroom door, his fist hovering over the wood. Uncertainty swirled in his mind, almost to the point of making him feel dizzy. He placed one hand against the wall to keep himself propped up as he rested his forehead against the door with a heavy sigh. What was he doing? Apologizing to Luka, of course, but...he hadn't even rehearsed; what would he say? What if he screwed up? Said something stupid?

No, nothing would be more stupid than his decision to try to control her. He'd have to suck it up and be a man.

He sighed again, even louder than the first, before he rapped on her bedroom door just a couple of times in hopes of catching her attention without waking up any of the others that slept down that hall. Gakupo could barely hear a shuffling sound coming from her room, along with incoherent moans and grumbles before she fell quiet again. So he knocked once more, this time keeping up an irregular rhythm that would be sure to annoy her until she had to get up and answer. Even though pissing her off right before trying to apologize for being douche...might not have been such a good idea...

The door opened to reveal Luka in all her glory, pink hair strands sticking up all over the place, sapphire eyes tired, a white nightgown wrinkled and revealing a bit more than he thought he'd be able to handle. His eyes widened slightly - as did hers - and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, tilting her head to one side. Her voice was, despite being slurred with sleep, uninterested and bored; sad, even.

"What do you want?" She finished it off with a sigh, her gaze betraying the pain that filled her heart at that exact moment.

Gakupo lost his words for a second. He didn't know how to begin; she hated him. It was written all over her face. All over her gorgeous, _gorgeous_ face. He swallowed past the lump in his throat, and opened his mouth to say, "L-Luka...?"

She jolted slightly in surprise, her cheeks darkening at the mention of her name. But she continued to scowl all the same. "Yes?"

"Uh..."

"You better get on with it." Luka narrowed her eyes and turned her nose up stubbornly. "I have to get my beauty sleep. I don't have time to waste with you. Especially not in the middle of the night."

No words had ever stung his heart more. Nothing had ever affected him so much that he'd literally rather do nothing but crawl in a hole and die so she would feel better without him there to ruin her life. The little Kaito on his right shoulder urged him to throw her against the wall and demand respect, but he knew better. He had to earn her respect, just like he needed to earn her trust.

Such simple things, destroyed by his own dumb actions. And it would take ages to build it back up again.

"I'm sorry to disturb you..." Gakupo told her formally, bowing his head ever so slightly. He took notice of her blush and fought the urge to smile. With a heavy sigh, he placed his hand on the doorframe and leaned against it, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. For some reason, it felt like not looking Luka in the eye would make things easier for him, and truth be told, it did seem to take a majority of the pressure away.

Except that her piercing sapphire orbs still glared a hole through him. Her lips tilted downwards in a frown. "I suppose it's okay," she murmured, unsure as to how she should act. His apology just then had seemed genuine enough; she didn't know what to expect from him now. "What do you want?" she asked again, though she seemed a bit more patient now.

Gakupo placed his free hand over his face and groaned. The words he really wanted to say - an apology, an explanation of some sort...he wasn't even sure how to bring it up without coming off as stupid or rude. So he went with a simple plea of, "I don't want you to be mad at me."

Luka blinked twice, tipping her head to one side. She dragged her fingers through her silken pink locks, trying to buy time, to act as though she'd busied herself with something else while she could conjure up an answer. But in the end, she could only come up with "Why?"

It baffled him to see that she almost didn't even care. In fact, she acted like it was no big deal that he wanted to apologize. That was a bit frustrating...but he had to try. He had to do something. Gakupo turned to look at her with his brow knit together, the sadness reflecting in his amethyst eyes. "I...don't know how I could live with you hating me."

Luka scowled and narrowed her eyes. "Okay, now you're putting words in my mouth. I never _once_ said I hated you," she spat, crossing her arms.

The new ferocity that seemed to roll off her in waves scared the purple-haired man, no doubt, but he was definitely confused. Though, he was so sure...She also thought he hated her. But he didn't. Anything but; exactly the opposite of hate, in fact. He couldn't control his love for her, he knew that. And it was about time that she knew it, too.

"I don't hate you either." The words poured from his lips in a sultry tone before he even knew what he was saying - or how he was saying it.

The rosy tint on Luka's pale cheeks turned even darker and she took a small step back to distance herself from her. Sure, her heart had leapfrogged when he spoke in such a voice, but she wasn't going to show it. In fact, she wasn't even going to react - beyond her blushing, of course, because she couldn't really control that.

"Good to know," Luka said simply, raising a brow.

"I really..." He trailed off for a moment before sucking in a deep breath and starting again. "I-I...I really wanted you to know..."

"Know what?" Luka growled. "Spit it out, Gakupo; I want to go to sleep." But inwardly, she was screaming with excitement, leaping up and down in joy.

Gakupo closed his eyes and turned away from her to say, "I'm sorry, okay!?"

She felt her heart skip a beat again, her cheeks turning as dark as humanly possible. Yet, her blood seemed to run cold at the exact possible moment, like ice was running through her veins. "W-What?"

He snapped his head back in her direction and grasped her shoulders firmly, fiercely, to hold her in place so she would look at him. He didn't want her gaze to drift anywhere but to his own, and he could tell by how wide her eyes had suddenly gotten that it wasn't going to happen. She was stunned, frozen in place, unable to even think or process anything at the moment. Her lips were parted slightly in an unheard gasp, and they remained like that.

Oh, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to so badly, but he was sure that if he were to get even closer, she would snap out of it and push him away, probably never forgive him. Ever.

He sucked in one deep breath, and with it, came a lot of courage. He just needed guts for sixty seconds to say what needed to be said, and then maybe, just maybe he'd be forgiven.

His words came out in a flurry that even he was barely able to understand. He was fairly certain he's tripped over a lot of what was being said, anyway. "I want you to know that I'm _terribly_ sorry for everything I've done. I didn't know that all of this would happen because of an action so simple; and Luka, I really miss not being able to talk to you like I used to. I mean, I know you didn't like me to begin with, but it's killing me - not being able to talk to you without feeling like you're angry. If I hadn't even listened to Kaito-"

"Kaito?" Luka's soft, quiet voice broke his rant - not that he minded. He was beginning to sound like Miki. She dropped her gaze and clenched her hand into a fist as she repeated the blue-haired boy's name two more times, still as a question, and then she ripped away from Gakupo with fury shining in her crystal eyes. "You did this because of something that ass-hat told you?! God, you really are stupid!"

Gakupo didn't know what to think of her outburst, but he knew for sure that she's woken the whole hallway with her loud voice. So in a desperate attempt to shut her up, he caught her by her shoulders again and said, "Shhh...shh...shush..." over and over again as though he were coaxing a baby until she finally fell quiet.

"I...It was wrong of me to do it, I know, but...I was desperate," Gakupo admitted, trying to hide the growing redness on his cheeks by shaking his head for his messy purple hair - which had fallen out of its ponytail during his nap before - to cover his face a little bit.

"Desperate for _what_!?" Luka snapped, pulling away from him again. That fire gleamed even hotter in her eyes; she almost looked deadly. Hell, Gakupo would've been afraid if he didn't know her too well. Any bystander would retreat to a safe distance to save themselves.

Gakupo couldn't help that his voice raised into a shout as he told her, "For you to like me back! Damn it, Luka, how much of a tsundere are you?!"

Luka whirled around so she wouldn't have to face him, to look into his genuine eyes. She wasn't sure what to do next. Yell at him, or give him a hug? But she loved him more than anything, that was for sure. She just wasn't certain what would happen if she admitted it. She'd have finally cracked. No longer be known as the greatest tsundere of all the Vocaloids, but be Gakupo's friend again - and potentially, more than that. How could she live with herself, with either option? There had to be a way she could pick both...

Tears welled in her eyes, but she was determined not to let a single one fall. She brought both hands up to the sides of her head, her fingers buried deep into her hair, only making it look like even more of a mess than it already was.

"I don't have to discuss this with you," she told him, and even though she meant to go back in her room and lock herself in, she stayed rooted in place.

"Why not?" Gakupo let out a sigh and folded his arms across his chest. "I know you're mad, but-"

"No." Luka cut him off with a simple word, her voice enough of a warning for him to stay quiet. "You...You're an idiot, Gakupo, for thinking that something like that would work on me. I don't like to be toyed with, and that's exactly what you did."

"Wait, wait...what?" Gakupo raised a brow. "I wasn't toying with you, Luka. I was trying to do something that would make you realize-"

"Realize what!?" Luka shrieked, throwing her arms into the air in exasperation. "That you're truly a jerk?"

"Wha...no!" Gakupo frowned, his amethyst eyes narrowed to slits once again. "I'm not...I didn't want any of this to happen!"

"Well, it did!" Luka growled from somewhere deep inside her throat, anger seeping from every single word she spoke. "I...I don't know what to do, okay?"

Gakupo's eyes glimmered with hope as he suggested, "Forgive me?"

"I don't know that I can look at you the same anymore after all of this." Luka was barely able to speak through the lump in her throat, her heart thumping so hard that she felt like her ribs were going to break. There was some kind of sickness in her stomach, making the pain of saying goodbye even harder than it already was. "I-I'm...No."

That said, Luka slammed the door to her room right in his face and crashed to the floor, silent tears pouring from her eyes while her lips quivered from muffled whimpers.

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_**So...? :3 From here, what do you think's gonna happen? Will Gakupo try again, or will Luka end up forgiving him after all? (Or maybe someone else ends up trying to fix things?)**_

**.::Review Replies::.**

**Rosie-chan:** _Yayaya~ I saw :3 And hehe thanks!_

**Katize Luka:** _I'll try to update this faster just for you, then xD Thank you so so sooo much~ Hehe, I like the personality I gave Miki, too, but she seems kind of annoying. XD Haha, I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review~_

**XXGakupo'sSamuraiPrincessXX:** _Looks a bit like Gakupo screwed up the whole thing, huh? XD Thanks for the review~_

**YellowFluffiesForever22:** _Nah, I didn't take it the wrong way xD Everyone wants long chapters instead of short ones (I'm one of those people who gets totally bummed out when a chapter's like less than 1k words xD) Funny you should mention that; we've actually been talking about how we see eye-to-eye. XD I wanna be Patrick. Patrick's dumber. I like being dumber XD Jk. It's totally obvious I won't finish it before school (since it started today) but it should be through by the end of the week, yessss~ Lol, I'm like that when it comes to school work. XD D'aawww that makes me feel special. Thank you so much~ (Lol, hiring someone to breathe air. I'm cracking up now just thinking about it XD)_

**Twins-Chan:** _Yup! Two more! (Maybe three, if I feel like an Epilogue. XD) You're just saying that because I ship MiPiko and it's obvious XD Thanks~_

**Bellemonte:** _*throws pillow back* Thanks for virtually hitting me in the face XD (Dude, pillows freaking hurt. They're soft to sleep on, but when someone hits you with them, they're like bricks. XD) Thanks~ I know, I know, usually, we don't start until next week. The teachers were even complaining today. XD_

**ZameZelder:** _Aww, why thanks~ XD I knoooow; this is like my favorite story to write...I'm gonna miss it. (But I'm gonna be starting two new stories in like a week, but don't tell anyone shhhh.) XD_

**Clear Cyan:** _There...are no words for that first paragraph...XD Okay, okay waaaaaait~ What song did you say you had set as your ringtone? (I can't remember if you already said something about it or not...but I'm too lazy to go back and check anyways OTL) No, no, no~ Don't feel bad! I definitely appreciate it when people point out errors because I hate reading one of my stories from WEEKS ago and finding an error in it. I mean, sometimes it's so obvious and arrrrgh. I just don't like mindless hate. Anything other than that is fine. XD Lol, I agree completely. You never know what you have till it's gone. (That lesson is ALWAYS learned the hard way. D:) Ha, yup, those names are soooo similar...*awkwardly pats back* There, there. You were close. XD (Fun fact: I always say, "Child, you are a Goddess" thing to someone almost every day. XD Dunno why; it just happened lol) But it looks like Luka's being a bit too stubborn, huh? Hm...I see what you're saying. Maybe Kaito DID mean for it all to happen after all, and I don't even know it yet? *gasps* Nice of you to have faith in that poor guy XD Yea, very mean people you are. *cries* HA! XD Double meanings...man, I seriously can't even go a day at school without saying something and my friends just staring at me until I realize what I just said. XD Awww, thanks~ You're writing is really good, too~ Like, for reals (I was halfway through reviewing for you and my iPod died. It was very...very disappointing. XD) ...but Len has a good voice, too. X3 Hehe, watch, you're gonna pick my worst story to follow XD Geez, what is with these huge review replies? XD I talk too much XD_

**aza004:** _There's nothing wrong with that X3 Heheh, Miki's like my comic relief character. Next to Piko. He's almost always used for comic relief with me. XD Hehe, never trust those weird blue-haired ice cream lovers. X3 Thanks for the review~_

**spoiled princez:** _Yup, Luka wants to remain the strong one. She doesn't want anyone to see her break down or anything~ Piko's forever alone, yes. But so is Miki. Muahaha, the powerful authoress shall change this~ Just kidding; I dunno yet XD I also love the Kagamines. :3 They're great. X3_

**StormyKittens:** _Gakupo is definitely an idiot. XD Thanks~ I love Toby, too, don't worry XD_

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_**Reviews are appreciated!(:**_

_**(:Mizune**_


	9. Chapter 9

**_Well, I promised this yesterday...but I actually fell asleep before 7 o'clock. (First full day of school exhausts you; I totally forgot. Heh...)_**

**_Anyways, sorry for being a terrible person D: Read on and enjoy. And please don't hate me..._**

* * *

**Last Chapter.**

_Gakupo's eyes glimmered with hope as he suggested, "Forgive me?"_

_"I don't know that I can look at you the same anymore after all of this." Luka was barely able to speak through the lump in her throat, her heart thumping so hard that she felt like her ribs were going to break. There was some kind of sickness in her stomach, making the pain of saying goodbye even harder than it already was. "I-I'm...No."_

_That said, Luka slammed the door to her room right in his face and crashed to the floor, silent tears pouring from her eyes while her lips quivered from muffled whimpers._

* * *

**Chapter Nine.**

A small _creak_ could be heard shortly after Luka left Gakupo a complete wreck in front of her door. It was followed up by Meiko's motherly tone, whispering out the nickname he so desperately wished only Luka would call him - though he hadn't heard it pass through the pinkette's lips even once.

"Gaku...?" Meiko poked her head out of her room, which was right next to Luka's. She eyed Gakupo for a moment, their gazes locking for several seconds before his wavered, his amethyst eyes filling up with stinging tears. Before he could even blink, Meiko was pulling him down to her level in a hug, her arms wrapping around his body and her hands tangling through his hair so she could force his face against her shoulder, thus muffling his near-silent crying.

Gakupo was barely able to realize that he hugged her back, tighter than ever, his strong arms caging her in so that she couldn't escape. That was why he loved Meiko - not in the same way as he loved Luka, of course - but the brunette was always there - always - to give advice and help someone if they needed it. Despite how mean she could be at times, she was more like a mother than any of the Vocaloids could ever hope to be.

He never cried. Ever. He was tough and strong, and he could handle anything that was thrown at him.

Except Luka.

She'd broken his heart to pieces - ripped it right out of his chest and stomped on it until it couldn't function properly anymore. At least, that was how it felt to him. He wanted her so badly - more than he ever had in his whole life. Not in the way that many perverts - such as Kaito - would think; no, he needed her to accept him so that he would feel complete, would feel whole again. He tried to apologize, but was it not enough? He wondered how it could've turned out like this...especially when he just poured out his emotions right in front of the girl.

She must really not like him. Gakupo bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself from making any noise as he squeezed his eyes shut in anger.

It was Kaito. His fault. His stupid idea was what got him into this mess, and damn it, if it was the last thing Gakupo did, he was going to beat the crap out of the boy.

As if on cue, another door opened, and Kaito's voice joined it. "Dude, you really screwed that u- are you crying?"

Meiko's grip on Gakupo slipped away so that he could turn around and look the blue-haired man straight in the eyes. Those royal blue eyes filled with nothing but mischief - and stupidity. Gakupo glared at him, but Kaito returned it with a smile of some sort - whether sarcastic or genuine, they weren't sure, but still.

"What's wrong, _Gaku_?" The name was uttered with such a tone that made Gakupo's skin prickle with irritation. Kaito giggled a little. "See, you have to keep using this plan I told you about. She'll come around."

"Listen, I don't hav-"

"Oh, Kaito." Meiko pushed past Gakupo, her voice so sugar-sweet that it was painful - and also, clearly faked. And that was made more obvious by the way she brought her hands together to crack her knuckles so loudly, the sound echoed in the near-empty hall. "I have a nice little..._game_ - if you will - for us to play," she told him as she got closer, her steps agonizingly slow.

Kaito's eyes widened, and without hesitation, his head disappeared again, followed by the slam of a door and the distinct sound of a lock turning.

"Don't even try to lock me out!" Meiko warned, lightly kicking the door to make a bit of a tapping noise that would scare the blue-haired man even more than he already was. "I'll bust the door down, and you know it, _sweetheart_!" she purred venomously, moments before she gave a fierce kick that - even though Gakupo couldn't see the door from where he was standing - was sure to have knocked it from the hinges. And that theory was quickly supported by Meiko's disappearing into the room and Kaito's totally unmanly screams.

As much as Gakupo wanted to join in on the torture, he didn't have the heart at the moment. He'd be sure to pay him back somehow, but he didn't feel like it right then. Though, Kaito's pleas and screams certainly made him feel a little better about the situation. He decided it would be good to just go to his room and get some rest - that is, if he could sleep. And, after such things occurred, he probably wouldn't be able to. But whatever; as long as no one else saw him like this.

Once in his room with the door shut and locked, he plopped down on his bed and stared down at his lap, almost unable to function. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now. Luka had turned him down; he hadn't anticipated such an outcome, and thusly, his mind would never be put at ease.

Kaito's screams finally faded into nothing but terrified whimpers, and Gakupo could hear his door being slammed closed, along with Meiko's light footsteps and dark chuckle that resounded in the halls.

::::::

Luka wasn't sure what to do after she left him like that. What more was there to do? She'd said goodbye. Even though she loved him with all her heart, it would be better without him in her life, right? After all the grief he'd caused her in the past couple of days, it would be nice to have some peace. To not feel pressured like he made her feel.

But it wouldn't be the same...

She wouldn't even be able to get rid of him completely, anyways. They might still have to sing duets or group songs with the others, and they'd still see each other every day at meals. He'd never be truly gone from everyday life...nor would he be gone from her heart.

Luka pushed aside the thoughts for a moment to congratulate herself. She'd anticipated a meeting occurring between the two, and she'd often thought about what she was going to say if he tried to apologize. She didn't want to be caught up in the drama anymore, so she had to do _something_.

_But, damn it, that makes me in the wrong now, _Luka thought irritably. _I suppose I could accept his apology, but...I don't want him to get the wrong idea...that I want to be in a relationship. Because I don't. Not at all. Especially not with _him_ after all of this._ But she was lying to herself, she knew.

She let out a heavy sigh, though it came out raggedly from her containing all those cries and whimpers. With her slender fingers, she reached up to wipe away the tears that remained in her eyes, the strong ones that hadn't fallen away yet to reveal how weak she truly was. She was sure that her face was red and splotchy - specifically her nose and eyes, and that was why she refused to show such emotion as weakness, because it made her look unattractive. But she got over that thought as she stood up and opened the door.

The noises outside had gone away - she wasn't entirely sure what to make of them, either. The screams and cries sounded a lot like Kaito, but surely Gakupo wouldn't just waltz into the blue-haired man's room and beat him up? Then again, maybe he would.

She shrugged to herself as she made her way down the hall to the room she recognized to be Gakupo's, but once she was there, she felt the pressure weighing heavily on her shoulders. It was like they were going in circles, passing the blame to the other and then being too proud to accept the consequences. That would have to change if this issue wanted to go away.

With hesitance, Luka tapped on the door quietly, trying to make as little noise as she possibly could. She knew he was awake, because she could hear him shuffling around in there. But she was partially hoping to herself that he wouldn't hear her knocking, or just ignore it all together, though she really wanted to set this whole thing straight.

And damn it, even if they tried to stop her, she was going to _destroy_ Kaito tomorrow.

The door opened. She wasn't prepared in the least to be face to face with him again, so soon, but it felt pretty good to be able to look up into his amethyst eyes. Those eyes that were full of pain and sadness and - were they bloodshot from _crying_?

_Oh, I'm a terrible person._

It didn't take two seconds for her to come to that conclusion.

She fidgeted awkwardly in her place, twiddling her thumbs and dropping her gaze to stare at the ground while his own bore into her with confusion and expectations. She looked up at him through her thick eyelashes and pink bangs, her expression clearly an apology.

Gakupo could tell.

And a soft smile quickly made its way to his lips as she mumbled, barely even loud enough for Gakupo himself to hear, "Can I come in?"

He allowed her to do so by stepping aside to allow her the path to enter his room. Luka padded past him on her tiptoes, antsy and nervous, while he closed the door behind her and turned to look at her as she took a seat on the edge of his bed. He wanted to join her there, but instead, he made himself comfortable by leaning up against the wall.

"I appreciate your apology," she said slowly, trying to keep the focus on his actions as opposed to hers - she didn't want to be the one who had to apologize, even if she had acted like a brat. "It means a lot. I..." She lowered her head to stare at her lap. "I didn't know that it was Kaito who persuaded you into this."

"You say that like you know what kind of a person Kaito is," Gakupo stated, tilting his head to one side. He knew that Kaito didn't show that side of him very often.

"I know how he is when he gives advice. I may have gone for some myself once," she admitted, studying her nails like they'd suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world.

"Oh yea? What happened?"

"I said I knew how he gave advice; I didn't say I'd tell you a life story," Luka growled, her eyes narrowed, but she softened up again pretty quickly. She immediately felt guilty, directing her gaze to her feet while he studied her intently. Then, without warning, Luka stood up. "I suppose I should go now...and let you sleep," she whispered, almost sadly.

Gakupo stepped aside and allowed her to pass by him. He watched her with desperate eyes as she turned the knob on the door, barely creaking it open just enough so that she could peek out at the hallway...

And then Gakupo's voice rang firmly in her ears.

"I do love you, you know."

Right then and there, Luka's heart jumped into her throat, beating with a pace so quickly that she was sure he would be able to hear it. Her hand froze on the doorknob, her whole body stiff; she wasn't sure how to respond. She knew how she _wanted_ to respond, but... Luka broke out in a cold sweat, her face flushing, her legs shaking, her lips quivering...

_Don't do it, Luka,_ she told herself, biting down on the inside of her cheek. _Don't do it, Luka. Don't do it. Be smart about this._

Luka ignored that voice easily and closed the door again before taking the both of them by surprise...and turning around to embrace Gakupo, leaping up into his arms, her legs hooked around his waist as though they where once lovers. Her hands held his head closer to her while she buried her face in his neck, holding him tightly to make everything seem even more _real_.

Gakupo, on the other hand, wasn't sure what to make of her actions, but he certainly wasn't going to complain. He held her back, his arms wrapping around her back while his face was in her silky pink hair, breathing in her warm and welcoming scent.

All too soon, Luka pulled away from him and stepped back with a pained smile on her face. She didn't look like she was going to say anything, so Gakupo decided to ask, "What was that for?"

"I..." Luka glanced down at her feet again, red coloring her cheeks again. It seemed like that was all she was doing those days. Then she looked back up to him with a courageous gleam in her eyes, and it was then that Gakupo realized she wouldn't be running from her feelings anymore. "I...think I love you, too."

Gakupo smiled at her even brighter, before he grabbed her by her shoulders and yanked her against him for another hug. But this time, it was even more meaningful. They finally understood each other...were finally on the same page. Their hearts beat together, holding each other like their lives depended on it.

He wouldn't have to cling to her and hope she would give him something that would satisfy his heart for the time being.

She wouldn't refuse his affections anymore because she felt the same way.

The game was over, and they didn't have to worry about what would happen next.

They could act normally, like a normal couple.

And it was all because of Kaito.

* * *

**_HOW'S THAT FOR CHEESY, EH? XD_**

**_Yea, I probably will do some kind of epilogue. There's another couple I wanna throw in there. Plus, Kaito needs to get what's coming to him. Although, it'll be set a week or so into the future, maybe longer. :3_**

**_I hope this ending wasn't too abrupt or anything; Luka was supposed to seem more like she doesn't want to be too stubborn because it'll hurt herself and Gakupo even more~_**

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**.::Review Replies::.**

**Katize Luka:**_ Lol, everyone agreed with that XD Yea, he is a bit of an idiot. :3 And they ARE absolutely the cutest! (Not as much as Piko and Miki, in my opinion) but Gakupo and Luka are just perfect :3 Thanks for the review~_

**XXGakupo'sSamuraiPrincessXX:**_ Thanks~ And I hope you liked this chapter just as much(:_

**DaniChibari:**_ Thanks~ I think he should, too. X3 But I think Gakupo and Luka should be the ones to kill him, not Meiko like I made it xD_

**ClearCyan: **_Man, I thought you were mad at ME there for a second. XD Yup, Kaito needs to pay. Though, I was gonna make Gakupo pound his face in, but momma Meiko handled it. :3 Lol, yea Gakupo's idea was pretty foolish. But he really wanted to set things straight right then, soo~ Luka's just too afraid of being hurt, which I don't think I really made clear, but nyeh. She doesn't know whether she should take the risk and accept Gakupo, or whether she should keep herself from him so she won't end up heartbroken. Mizucchi? *awesomeface* Now that's one I haven't heard before. XD Well...I won't be asking for songs anymore xD *scowls* He...wasn't even wearing pants. XD Nah, not stalkerish. XD I say it to people, any age. Sometimes my mom. But she's used to my randomness, so. XD Yes, your writing is awesome~ Great Mizune? Oh, stop~ YOU HAVE AN ANIME STORE?! Lucky. T_T Lol, you have a Len keychain and you don't even like him that much? XD Hehe, yay~ I love talking to people, but I'm not allowed to PM much so this is like my only way xD Thanks~_

**Fostersb: **_Thanks~ Oh, Kaito will get his...it'll be discussed in the next (and last) chapter. :3 No room-locking needed; Luka finally decided to be a man and say what she thought! Oh, wait...xD Thanks for the review~_

**soiled princez:**_ Leave it to Luka to misunderstand. Hehe~ I see what you're sayin;) Thanks for reviewing!_

**Standing Alone Still:**_ *nods* Agreed! Luka should've quit being so dang stubborn in the first place! I agree with everything you said in that review, actually, so I don't have much to say to you except thanks for the review~ and for reading~ _

**YellowFluffiesForever22:**_ Lol, I suck at giving hints without giving away the whole ending. But yup~ As you can see, you were right. Luka was a bit offended, but she got over it for Gakupo~ *squeals* Over exaggeration? Hm. *high fives* Congrats on that xD I'm kinda the same way hehe. Awww don't sit in a corner! T.T You're too awesome to sulk in a corner! Thanks~_

**NeaLureKamui:**_ Aww but momma Meiko came to the rescue first~ But waaait and see what becometh of them. Hehe~_

_**(:Mizune**_


	10. Epilogue

**I**_** intend to get the cover art up sometime before the end of this weekend...I'm just too lazy to do it right now. XD**_

_**So I'd like to thank EVERY SINGLE reviewer, follower, and favorite-er. XD You all made this story enjoyable, and with your bits and piece of advice, it really helped. :D I greatly appreciate it you guys!**_

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_**Also, since this marks the end of this story (I'll actually be posting a couple of new stories soon...not smart...) I have one I'd like to recommend, if you're interested. It's like...perfection. There are so many twists and turns, it'll keep you guessing to the end. It's called "The Red Boarding School of Dread," and it's by StarryEyedRin. (Seriously guys, go read it. I'm her only regular reviewer, and it deserves more praise.)**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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**Epilogue.**

"Took you long enough."

"Yea, yea." Gakupo rolled his eyes as he stopped in front of the couch where Luka had been sitting and reading a new book - not that that was anything unexpected; she was always absorbed into some novel, to the point where it seemed like the only thing she ever did. He bent over to force one arm around her shoulders and scooped up her legs with the other, lifting her off the couch with little effort before he plopped back down with her in his lap.

Luka continued as though it had never happened, though she shifted slightly so she could lean against the arm of the couch to get a little bit more comfortable while Gakupo wrapped his arms around her waist and clasped his hands together to hold her in place. He rested his chin on her shoulder and took in a deep breath of her strawberry scent before letting out a blissful sigh.

It had been two weeks.

Two _whole_ weeks of eggplants and Luka.

And there was nothing better than that. Except for inflicting pain and trauma upon the blue-haired idiot that was responsible for the whole mess in the first place. Though, in a way, they should've been thanking Kaito. Because if it wasn't for his stupid idea of a game, then none of that would've ever happened.

If Gakupo hadn't asked Kaito for advice, he wouldn't be sitting there holding Luka in his arms without her complaining.

But that, of course, didn't mean Gakupo should be kind to him.

Luka spoke as though she didn't care in the least. She didn't even look up from where her gaze was fixed on the small words on the page, more interested in that than anything, it seemed. "Were you setting up the bucket?"

"Oh, yea." Gakupo chuckled to himself, tapping his fingertips against her skin in anticipation of what would happen. "Not only will what's left of his ice cream be all over the floor, but Meiko will also throw a fit at him for the mess."

"But..." Luka shot a cautious glance at her boyfriend from the corner of her eyes. "She knows that we're the ones who came up with it, doesn't she?"

He snickered and pressed his lips to her cheek for a moment. He couldn't even begin to explain the happiness he felt at the fact that she wouldn't push him back at such a simple gesture. "Yup. But I've already talked to her about this, so we're good." They would, in fact, be okay even if Kaito were to pin the blame on them, because Meiko agreed that he needed to be taught a lesson - and a very harsh one, at that. But that was just Meiko - a kind motherly figure who'd pound a person to a pulp if they did something worthy of punishment.

Luka's only response was a roll of her bright sapphire eyes, along with a gentle shake of her head. Her lips were set in a slight smile, more of a smirk, as she turned one of the pages and began to read from the top. She spoke while she did so, her voice masked to hide her true dreamy feelings as she said, "Gakupo, you really are amazing, you know that, right?"

"Of course!" he laughed, tightening his grip on her and pulling her closer into him and whispering, "But you are, too, you know."

Luka's head turned a fraction of an inch, just enough for her nose to be brushing against his. Gakupo smiled as he tilted his chin upward just enough to kiss her square on the lips - not a long kiss, but more quick and chaste; and playful, too. They could feel the smiles the other had on their face through their connected lips, their eyes closed and brows knit together in concentration. When they separated the first time, the pink-haired girl brought herself closer for another kiss, this time for a more passionate one.

"Ew! Get a room, you two!"

Gakupo pulled away from Luka at the girl's voice, but he kept his forehead pressed to his lover's, their amused gazes meeting. Their eyes formed the words that they didn't feel like speaking - or rather, didn't want to speak with the young redhead girl watching them. '_We aren't doing such bad things are we?_' and '_I thought they all went to the park for the day?_'

Luka's hands gripped her book even tighter, as though she were trying to find something to hold on to to assure things were real. She always had a dilemma like that; part of her mind seemed to have convinced her that she was merely in a dream and would wake up once things got good. But the way Gakupo squeezed at her hips told her it was actually happening.

She blushed even darker and averted her gaze to stare at the pattern on the back of the couch.

"Do you have to sound so cliche?" another feminine voice demanded, sounding amused and irritated at the same time.

"Well what was I supposed to say? Quit screwing each other in the living room? Does it even look like they're close to something like that? Nope. Exactly why I didn't-"

When she broke off with muffled cries of protest, Gakupo leaned over so he could look past Luka's shoulder at what was going on. Obviously, it was Miki, but she never stopped when she began one of those annoying speeches she loved to give at random points in time. Unless someone interrupted her. And this time, that interruption was in the form of little Piko who'd come up behind her and pinned his hand over her mouth, thus pulling her back down against his chest.

Gakupo grinned slightly and gave a quick wink in the white-haired boy's direction. After all, Gakupo hadn't made a promise to Miki that he wouldn't tell Piko what she said that night. And it was quite clear to everyone that they became quite a bit closer since then.

And it didn't pain either of them - Gakupo or Luka - at seeing fresh love blossom anymore, because they'd already gotten their happy ending. There would be no more fighting, no more hating, no more keeping secrets from each other. He could approach Luka at any moment he wanted and she wouldn't punch him for it like before, and if something irritated her, she'd hunt him down and just rant and rant until she either felt better or fell asleep.

He could sense that things were going to turn out like that for the two ahoge lovers.

Gakupo put on his best scowl and told them, "Hey, why don't you two go get kinky in your own bedrooms, alright?"

Miki's face colored darkly as she ripped Piko's hand away with her own and shouted in defense, "B-but we weren't-!"

Piko started to laugh, despite the blush that had quickly risen to his cheeks. His hand covered his mouth in an attempt to muffle his almost inhuman snorts of amusement.

"Ne, shota-chan, it's not funny!" Miki shrieked, whacking him upside the head. It was quite an effective way to get the white-haired boy to shut up. But only about that subject.

Another argument broke out.

"Where do you get the nerve to call me a shota?!" Piko growled back, his voice cracking embarrassingly.

"Well, it's true. Have you seen the way you dress?" Seeming to have forgotten the conversation just moments before, Miki leaned closer to him and grabbed a lock of his hair, allowing her fingers to comb through it. "I'll bet my life you use girl's shampoo."

Piko backed up and smacked her hand away. "I-I do not!"

Miki snickered and reached for his hair again. "Stuttering is a sign that you're lying."

Gakupo felt the need to torment the poor white-haired boy as well, looking past Luka and tilting his head upward so his voice wouldn't be muffled by her shoulder or silky pink locks. "So is blushing," he announced with a smirk, his gaze darting to the front door as it opened.

Piko took no notice and moved backward once again, his dual-colored eyes narrowed in defiance. "I'm a man! Men don't blush!"

Meiko tilted her head back to finish off what remained of the drink in the aluminum can and crushed it in her hand as she brought it down from her lips. Her footsteps were swift as she padded past them towards the stairs that would lead up to her room. As she passed by Piko, she placed a hand on his head and ruffled his soft hair, mumbling, "Whatever gets you through the day, kiddo."

Piko scowled and whipped his head in her direction to glare daggers at her retreating back, clearly displeased with the brunette's comment, but the other three found it quite hysterical and began to laugh. He turned back to them, flinging his arms around in exasperation. "Why don't you respect me?!"

Gakupo untwined his fingers to loosen his hold on Luka, only to intertwine them once again so he could have a firmer grasp on her. It was his way of reassuring her or trying to calm her in advance before she could hear the statement running around in his mind. "Because women are inferior to men; therefore, we don't value your opinions, Piko-chan."

Luka had brought one hand away from her book to touch his leg, and as he spoke, she dug her nails into his thigh as some kind of warning.

"I seriously love you, Gaku~!" Miki cried happily, her laughter ringing off the walls of the large open living room. Piko, on the other hand, buried his face in his hands and groaned before running off. His disappearance stole the redhead's attention away from Gakupo, and she ran after him, shouting some nonsense about how he should quit being rude to her.

Luka rolled her eyes as she turned back to Gakupo with a slight smile on her face. True, Luka wasn't much for seeming joyful or carefree in public, but she didn't really care about her reputation anymore. Well, of course she did. But she didn't freak out over the little things like she used to. She'd smile around Gakupo if she wanted; it didn't matter if people saw, because she'd just blow them off if they questioned. And if any person dared to make a comment about how the 'great tsundere Luka had finally gone soft,' she'd twist their arm around their back and break it off.

That was what she told herself, at least.

But she probably wouldn't do it. She was too soft to do such a thing now.

Gakupo's stupid pacifistic personality had rubbed off on her. A little.

"You seem out of it," Gakupo observed, raising a slender purple brow.

"Hm? Me?" Luka felt dumb for asking, but we simply looked back down at her book. "Nonsense. I was just thinking."

"About...?"

"Nothing, really."

"C'mon, Luka." Gakupo rocked her in his lap just a little, the grin on his face growing. His amethyst eyes were pleading. "It wasn't anything bad, was it? Maybe you were thinking of Kaito's death...?"

"Oh, yea," she breathed out, her words ragged with a slight chuckle. She leaned back against the arm of the couch and heaved a sigh. "It's sad that all of our conversations end up focusing on him, though."

Gakupo's smile was sympathetic, and he lifted one of his hands up to brush through her hair. "Well right now, he's just the topic of interest. Soon it'll be as though this never happened."

"Can we start pretending it never happened now?" Luka asked, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

There was a pause before Gakupo's eyes brightened and he said, "Sure! Why not?"

Luka sighed again and leaned her head on his chest. She secretly loved the way he smelled; not necessarily of eggplants - that was always assumed because Rin always held her tangy scent of oranges. Luka wasn't even able to point out his specific smell, but she loved it when he held her. Because then she could feel his warmth and feel safe in his embrace. And she loved it even more when she let him keep his arm around her and she'd leave carrying his welcoming scent that hid her strawberry one.

"Happy?"

"Mm...very."

"I'm glad..." Gakupo smiled and let his lips touch her cheek again. He couldn't resist kissing her, ever. And she didn't seem to mind, because she never protested. Nor did she act like she approved of it, though.

But he learned that was just the kind of person she tended to be.

"Wanna go upstairs?" Gakupo asked, lifting one of his legs into the air to stretch it out.

Luka narrowed her eyes. "I'm still not sure if I should completely trust you, or if you might try something."

Gakupo brought both of his hands up to wrap around her shoulders and yank her even closer to him, which caused the pinkette to let out a faint squeak of surprise. "But I made a promise to you, Luka," he pointed out softly. "We'll take this as fast or as slow as you want to."

"You didn't seem to believe that beforehand," Luka growled stubbornly, her lips turning downward in a frown that she hoped would balance out her reddening face.

"Because I wanted to do something you'd fall in love with, gorgeous~" he purred, kissing her cheek again.

"I don't fall in love with pervy actions," she retorted, her voice going deeper with mockery.

"Well I did something right, now didn't I?" The words rolled off his tongue in a sugary-sweet voice that made Luka's heart do a somersault. He nuzzled into her neck and smiled against her, and the soft laugh that rumbled in his throat tickled her skin.

"Shut up, moron." Luka turned away from him. "I thought you said you wanted to go upstairs, anyway?"

"But you so rudely refused my offer." Gakupo slipped one arm around her shoulders and the other beneath her knees before standing up abruptly. His actions brought another squeak from the pinkette as she kicked her legs once or twice in shock before she relaxed. Having found herself in such a position quite often, she knew exactly how to make herself comfortable by slinging her arms around his neck and allowing her book to stay resting on her belly.

Luka admired Gakupo's strength, though she never cared to tell him. Sure, she was strong herself. But Gakupo? The man was like a superhuman. Muscles rippled along his arms and he had defined abs, and he could easily crush someone without a second thought. Yet he never used his strength to show people up or hurt them. He only used it to pick Luka up or-

Luka blushed and stopped herself before she could think of the more perverted options. She grinned and kissed Gakupo on the cheek; she wasn't sure what it was, but he seemed to have a big thing for cheek kisses, and she found that sweet. He didn't seem to be only interested in her because she was good with her tongue or could move her body well - because she was, in fact, pretty clumsy unless she rehearsed movements first.

"My room, or your room?" Gakupo asked as he climbed up the stairs.

"Mine. I need to get a new book, anyway," Luka said simply.

"Will do!" Gakupo took the last of the stairs in pairs before heading down the hallway to his room, passing Kaito's with an all-too-sinister smirk. He shifted her in his arms as they reached her door, a signal for her to let go of him and turn the knob herself. She did so, and he kicked the door shut behind himself.

"Put me down," Luka ordered, removing her arms from around his neck and preparing to feel the ground beneath her feet.

But it never came.

"What, can't I carry you over there?" Gakupo asked with a smirk, his amethyst eyes glowing playfully.

She scowled. "I can walk ten feet on my own."

"Ah, nah~ That won't be necessary!" Gakupo tried not to laugh at his own words; he loved pressing her buttons like that, infuriating her slightly. She was always adorable when she was angry, however she did have moments when she could become absolutely deadly. He was careful to avoid those times.

"Let me down!" Luka cried out, kicking her feet in frustration. But she laughed anyway, burying her face in his chest and flinging her arms around his neck once again. "You're so stubborn; it's not fair!"

Gakupo stopped by her shelf, shifting her once again so that she would be more comfortable while she tried to select her book. But once she got it in her hands, she brought it down on Gakupo's head hard enough to shock him into dropping her.

Luka laughed; she'd caught herself before she could hit the ground. Gakupo was clutching his head in pain. "I told you to put me down," the pinkette told him calmly with a shrug, though her eyes gleamed mischievously.

The purple-haired man frowned. "I could just walk out of this room and never come back, you know."

She narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't."

"I would." Gakupo lifted one leg into the air to take a step forward, but Luka tackled him before he could make any progress, her arms wrapping around his body and her weight causing him to fall to the ground. The loud thump when they crashed brought squeals of surprise not only from the couple, but also from Miki and Piko a few rooms down, as well as an irritated growl from Miku telling them to keep it down.

"What was that for?" Gakupo asked in a throaty voice, his breath having been knocked from him at the impact. He lifted a hand up to her back, his fingers clutching at the loose fabric of her oversized grey shirt, while she snorted.

"To prove that I'm stronger than you, of course," she snapped, unable to hide the heat that left her cheeks a dark red.

"Of course~" Everything about his tone and the way his eyes gleamed proved that he was being sarcastic, and even though sarcasm irritated the hell out of Luka, she rolled her eyes and got to her feet.

"I-I'll be reading now," she muttered, turning to go retrieve the book she'd discarded. Luka glanced over her shoulder immediately after speaking, effectively giving Gakupo no time to reply. "Are you coming, or what?"

Gakupo's brows were raised for a moment, but then he smiled and raced towards her, scooping her into his arms without a second thought and plopping down on her bed with her in his lap. His arms wound around her waist, his hands clasped over her belly button to keep her in place. His smile got even bigger when she leaned back against his chest and opened her book to read. Gakupo rested his chin on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

_Luka...I really love you._

"Eh? Wahhhh!" The loud shriek was promptly followed by a loud thumping sound and the noise of something wet splashing all over the floor. "My ice cream!"

Gakupo snickered, his shoulders shaking slightly, and Luka laughed quietly at the same time.

Meiko's booming voice rang out just then. "Kaito! How the hell did you make this mess!?"

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_**Don't...make pervy comments, Mizune...ehh...**_

_**Yea, this was nothing special. Just a little bit of GakuLuka since there wasn't too much in the story itself. Plus, this was actually supposed to show how playful they are around each other now that they've confessed and all that good stuff.**_

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_**Guys...my mom is weird. She saw this show on tv, something about Heroes of Cosplay. She wondered if it would be any good...And things played out like this...**_

_**Me: ***wiggles eyebrows* Moooom~ are you turning slightly otaku?_

**Mom: **_No, Kagamine._

**_I...have no words. My mom is a convert._**

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**.::Review Replies::.**

**XXGakupo'sSamuraiPrincessXX:** _Thank you very much! :D I'm glad you liked it:D_

**Konjiki No Yami:** _Aww, thanks~~ I'm so honored *o*_

**DaniChibari:** _Haha. X3 I wanted to really beat Kaito down...but I'd feel awful if I did that. XD Even if he was a jerk in this story. lol. Thanks so much!_

**ZameZelder:** _N-No! *hands tissue* Noooo, don't cry. Pwease don't cry. You'll make me cry. *sniffles* Haha XD Thank you! I thought too many stories ended with a kiss. That was the only reason why I didn't do it like that, but I guess it turned out for the best. I learned something today, I suppose. XD Thanks so much for the review!_

**Standing Alone Still:** _OTL I should've actually gone into detail with Kaito revenge...but I suck. *sniffs* I'm not good at writing revenge. I'll have to work on that. Lol, getting those looks is always fun, huh? X3 Hope you liked the epilogue!_

**Clear Cyan:** _*sniffs* That...that was beautiful. Pffft, and you said what I wrote was cheesy. That whole first paragraph of your review was chessy. *derp face* Not in a bad way, of course. Kaito deserved it. I really wanted to be mean to him, but I'm actually not good at being TOO mean to characters. I feel bad when I do it. That's probably my weakest point as a writer. XD You know the sound of an unmanly scream? *snickers* Did you really get all of that from memory? *o* I'd feel so honored...:D We of the female species aren't confusing! ...much. If anything, men are confusing. Pfft. (Fun fact, I made my friend listen to the 10 seconds of that song during class, and she took my iPod and replayed it...for literally twenty minutes. And then she drew a picture in my sketch book of Kaito...farting music notes and 'uh's. I don't even...) My mom just tells my dad, "She's half yours, you know." (But I get it from my mom, that's obvious. XD) It seems like all parents say things like that...XD I won't look it up because I don't want to seem like a stalker. (But mostly because I'm too lazy OTL) It sounds like a ton of fun, though. X3 I'm cutting this short, so thanks for the review!_

**NeaLureKamui:** _Meiko is like a she-devil. It's best to not ask questions about the things she's capable of, especially when it comes to revenge. XD Thanks for the review!_

**Pokekid84:** _*backs away slowly* Eh..n-no, you've not been a bad reviewer. It's okay. There, there...*awkwardly pats head* Lol, Gakupo getting laid? *dark thoughts* Ohoho, Luka...what do you do to him in your free time? Woooah, you AGREED with Kaito? When he said what? To use reverse psychology? (Sorry, I didn't reply to your PM. I'm not supposed to PM much, so...But the plan, it worked. Whether Kaito had actually intended for all of this to happen...that shall be up to your imagination.) Thanks for the reviews~_

**YellowFluffiesForever22:** _MONKEY RISINGS? RUN FOR COVER! XD Yup, Meiko is dating her genderbend. (I just wanted to add Meito and the others in in some way because they don't seem to be used enough, you know?) Besides, if she and Kaito were together, her beating him up probably might've had a different meaning...(Mizune's dirty thoughts...) Yup! This is the last chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it!:D Thanks for the review!_

**spoiled princez:** _I knooow~ Gakupo and Luka are just so perfect...:D Lol, yup. If it weren't for Kaito's stupidity, they wouldn't be together. :D Kaito at least deserves SOME kind of prize for that, huh? Thank you so much for the review! I appreciate it!_

**PhoenixFlame53:** _I know...),: Picturing a big guy like Gakupo crying is just heartbreaking... Thanks! I can see her and Kiyoteru as the two most mature of the Vocaloids. Gakupo and Luka, too...but not so much in this story. XD Lol, I can leave what happened in Kaito's room up your imagination. (I really had no plans for what happened, anyways. Whatever revenge works best XD) Thanks for the review!_

**Katize Luka:** _Lol, everyone loved that part XD Tickling would be a very good revenge...(Imagine whatever you want; I had no plans for it XD) Lol, they pretty much just set him up to be 'destroyed' again by Meiko, but they could've always gotten other revenge on his in the two weeks time between this chapter and last chapter. Never know. X3 Thanks fro reviewing!_

**Lyric22:** _:3 Thank you! I'm so glad you like Meiko here!:D Kaito actually deserved a lot worse, but...as I told Clear Cyan, I just feel bad and awkward when I write things like that. Probably my weakest point as a writer haha. XD Ahh, that's okay! I don't mind silent readers. :3 I just love getting feedback, and yours was much appreciated! I don't even know what more to say to your review. XD Thank you, thank you, thank you!_

* * *

**_And a great big hug to all of you for being awesome and supporting me!:D _**

**_Goodbyeee~ I'll see you all some other time! Hopefully!_**

**_(:Mizune_**


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